At the David Geffen School of Medicine, we believe that a positive, team-oriented culture is not only critical to our ability to achieve our mission, but also vital to our well-being and cohesion as a community.
To enhance our existing culture and improve our strategic impact, the Dean’s Office launched a year-long culture audit in 2017. More than 1,000 DGSOM staff, faculty, trainees and students participated in a school-wide survey, focus groups and one-on-one interviews, sharing valuable insights into the strengths of our current culture, as well as key priorities moving forward.
The culture audit revealed three consistent themes:
These themes led to the development of the Cultural North Star, three pillars and 12 purpose statements that unite us in our shared mission; set clear and high expectations for our actions and interactions; and help facilitate problem-solving, decision-making and collaboration.
Together, these core principles represent our collective commitment to our mission and each other, serving as a daily guide for the decisions we make, the goals we set and the work we do.
We are united by our shared mission of advancing science and medicine
We work together to eliminate inequity
We are grounded in ethics and data
We balance the short and long term effects of our actions
We come to work to make an impact
We are constantly curious
We seek out diverse voices
We embrace failures as opportunities to learn
We are strongest when we show empathy
We have the courage to be honest
We listen to understand
We engage in dialogue even when we disagree
The Cultural North Star Steering Committee is committed to building a positive, mission-oriented culture at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The committee meets monthly to design and advise on strategies and programs that bring the Cultural North Star to life and align school-wide efforts around culture change. Since its formation in April 2019, the Committee has been working to identify and develop key integration opportunities across a range of DGSOM programs and processes, including in medical education curricula, professional development, rewards and recognitions, marketing and communications, orientation, recruitment, HR and Academic Affairs assessments, and more.
Executive sponsor: Kelsey Martin, MD, PhD, Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Committee chairs:
Shawn Kang, Senior Director of Human Resources, UCLA Health
Emilie Marcus, PhD, Executive Strategy Officer, DGSOM
Emily Rose, PhD, Senior Advisor to the Dean, DGSOM
Committee members:
Kathleen Brown, MD, Assistant Dean, Equity and Diversity Inclusion, DGSOM
Alejandra Casillas, MD, MSHS, Assistant Professor of Medicine in Residence, DGSOM
Tess Elconin, JD, Senior Council, DGSOM
Stephanie Fisher, MA, Chief Administrative Officer, Anesthesiology
Charles Hajek, Executive Director and Associate Chief Financial Officer, Finance, DGSOM
Jonathan Hiatt, MD, Vice Dean for Faculty, DGSOM
Deborah Krakow, MD, Chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, DGSOM
Siavash Kurdistani, MD, Chair, Biological Chemistry, DGSOM
Lee Miller, MD, Associate Dean, Student Affairs, DGSOM
Sherly Mosessian, PhD, Acting Chief Information Officer, DGSOM
Maie St. John, MD, PhD, Chair, Head & Neck Surgery, DGSOM
Mike Steinberg, MD, Chair, Radiation Oncology, DGSOM
Lynn Talton, PhD, Director, Postdoctoral Affairs, DGSOM
