Dr. Marcelle M. Willock, MD, Faculty Development & Diversity Program

The Dr. Marcelle M. Willock, MD, Faculty Development and Diversity Program (MWP) is a longitudinal leadership and career development program for faculty members from under-represented racial and ethnic groups on the BU Medical Campus (Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Dentistry). This program provides URG faculty with community and a sense of belonging at BUMC. In addition, MWP helps faculty develop the strategies to advance their careers and skills to navigate the complexities of being URG in academic health sciences.

Marcelle M. Willock, MD is Emeritus Professor of Anesthesiology at the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM. A 1962 graduate of Howard University College of Medicine, she is the first African-American woman to achieve Emeritus status at the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM. Serving as Chair of Anesthesiology from 1982-98, Dr. Willock was among the first women of color to lead an academic and clinical department in the United States. After leaving the Chobanian & Avedisian SOM, Dr. Willock became the first female Dean of Charles Drew University College of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, where she retired in 2005. An advocate for civil rights and diversity, she has collaborated with many programs addressing health care disparities and the fair treatment of gender, racial and ethnic underrepresented groups in medicine

AY24 Applications will open on April 3rd and close on May 15th, 2023.

You cannot save your application once you have started it, so please prepare your answers in advance. You can review the application in word format here.

Target Audience:

Faculty from Under-Represented Racial and Ethnic Groups* (URG) at BUMC

Commitment:

• Sessions are 1.5 hours from September to May on Thursday afternoons (4:30 – 6 pm)
• Participants commit to actively participate in at least 8 of the 10 in-person sessions
• Meet with Angelique Harris 2x per year for writing coaching
• Meet with Sheila Chapman 2x per year for individual development planning
• Meet with Emelia Benjamin 1x per year for CV consultation
• Meet with senior mentor 2x per year

AY24 Program dates 

• September 14th, 2023
• October 12th, 2023
• November 16th, 2023
• December 14th, 2023
• January 18th, 2024
• February 15th, 2024
• March 14th, 2024
• April 11th, 2024
• May 2nd, 2024
• May 23rd, 2024

Learning Objective:

• Enhance peer mentoring and sense of community among URG faculty members
• Develop a better understanding of the institutional culture of BUMC
• Enhance leadership and career development skills identified by participants as areas for development
• Engage in meaningful discussions about the experience of navigating academic health sciences as a URG faculty member
• Contribute to efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment at BUMC

Content:

• Experiential seminars. Senior faculty members and leaders from BUMC and beyond will engage with participants around key determinants for effective leadership and fostering change from one’s current role through in-person, experiential sessions once every six weeks.
• Learning community. Peer mentors in learning communities will meet for one hour every six weeks, between didactic sessions, to discuss tangible strategies to apply the program content in their lives. Member will provide support and accountability to one another to successfully negotiate challenges, foster resiliency, and achieve personal goals.
• Leadership goal. Participants commit to making substantial progress on a personal leadership goal throughout the program.
• Participant commitment. Participants commit to prepare and actively participate in at least 7 of the 9 sessions that take place from October to June, to make progress on their projects, and engage in self-reflection and honest conversation with peer and senior mentors.
• Conversation cafe. Opportunity to engage with inspirational leaders from BU/BMC and beyond in an informal setting

Curriculum Topics:

*The NIH defines under-represented racial and ethnic groups in the biomedical sciences as African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans/Alaska Natives who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment, Hawaiian Natives and natives of the U.S. Pacific Islands

For more information about the URG Faculty Development Program, please contact us at bumcfdd@bu.edu