UCLA School of Nursing honored for its commitment to diversity and inclusion

The UCLA School of Nursing has received the 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only nursing school in the UC-system to receive this year’s honor.

As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — UCLA Nursing will be featured, along with 62 other recipients, in the December 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. INSIGHT is the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. 

“UCLA Nursing has taken tremendous steps to make inclusion and equity a holistic part of all that we do,” said Lin Zhan, PhD, RN, FAAN, Dean and Professor in the UCLA School of Nursing. “This recognition is a reminder of just how important this work is and why we will remain steadfast in our efforts.” 

“Our vision is to be a beacon of creating innovative, impactful, and sustainable individual and organizational strategies and solutions that promote a diverse, equitable and respectful environment for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners through interdisciplinary research, scholarship, clinical care, and community engagement,” said Robert Lucero, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLA Nursing.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected the UCLA School of Nursing for its focus on diversity in the recruitment of students, faculty, and staff, as well as programmatic opportunities aimed at serving underrepresented populations. 

“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

For more information about the 2022 Health Professions HEED Award and a full list of this year’s recipients, visit insightintodiversity.com.