Office of Diversity & Inclusion

The dental school is a place where many different cultural and life experiences are valued and respected. The goal of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for all students, faculty and staff while fostering respect, humanism and a sense of belonging. We strive to encourage a culture of caring that values individuality and individual responsibility, while adhering to principles of equity and fairness.

Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Diversity & Inclusion
Herminio Perez
hlp21@sdm.rutgers.edu

Initiating Inclusion

Faculty at RSDM have worked with the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) to lead seminars on guiding underrepresented students nationwide to become leaders in the field of academic dentistry. Within Rutgers, RSDM developed a program to help representatives from all Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) schools become “diversity champions.’’ Participants gain tools to raise awareness of barriers to inclusion and find constructive ways to bridge divides.

Leaders in LGBTQ Advocacy

RSDM faculty collaborated with other dental school academics to present “Out and Safe,” an (ADEA) webinar series that focused on supporting LGBTQ communities. The Dental Association for Equality at RSDM, one of the first dental school clubs for LGBTQ students and allies, was founded in 2012. Dr. Herminio Perez, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Diversity and Inclusion, has been the councilor for the American Dental Education Association Section on Gay-Straight Alliance since 2017.