Creating an Inclusive Community

By Kara Sweet

In June 2020, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences welcomed Kalpesh Desai, BSc.Pharm, PharmD, as our new director for diversity initiatives.

We, as the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, find racism, racial injustice, inequity and discrimination towards any group intolerable and unacceptable. It falls on every one of us (faculty, staff, students and community), regardless of our race, to work together to eliminate racism and discrimination.
Kalpesh Desai.

 In this newly enhanced position, Desai leads the school’s efforts to increase diversity and foster inclusiveness among students, staff and faculty. He is also a liaison between the school and the UB Office for Inclusive Excellence and the UB Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, serving as a critical connector for outreach, programming and issues management. 

The position holds special meaning to Desai. “When I was growing up, I was one of very few minorities in school and early on, I didn’t feel included,” he says. “I felt I was an outsider because of my skin color and having been born in a different country. I want everyone here to feel they are welcome, respected and included.”

He adds: “I would like to foster an environment at the school where everyone feels that they are welcome to share their ideas and feelings. All of us can learn from each other’s varied experiences and become more equitable and inclusive. When we all act better, humanity benefits.”

Desai has taken on his new role with vigor. He implemented multiple open forum listening sessions, created an alumni mentorship program for students called Underrepresented in Pharmacy (UIP), and engaged with student leaders on how SPPS can better achieve an environment of racial sensitivity and inclusion, and foster a sense of community.

Desai also serves as a senior research scientist in the Department of Pharmacy Practice.

2020-2021 Diversity Objectives
  • Developing new strategies to increase the number of students, faculty, staff, mentors and preceptors from underrepresented backgrounds
  • Incorporating health disparities and cultural competence in future PharmD and pharmaceutical sciences courses
  • Increasing student wellness clinics and student direct career mentorship in local underserved communities
  • Forming a Diversity and Inclusion Committee composed of faculty, staff, students, alumni and preceptors from both the PharmD program and the pharmaceutical sciences programs with diverse backgrounds and cultural experiences