Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster and Dr. Rache M. Simmons Appointed Assistant Deans for Faculty Diversity

Newswise — NEW YORK (September 04, 2012) -- Weill Cornell Medical College has appointed Dr. Carla Boutin-Foster and Dr. Rache M. Simmons to the newly-created leadership positions of assistant deans for faculty diversity in the Office of Faculty Diversity in Medicine and Science.

"Diversity is a major goal of Weill Cornell and core to Cornell University's mission," says Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "These newly created positions signal how important diversity is to our institution. Weill Cornell has a long tradition of promoting diversity and increasing it will be the foundation for our continued strength and success." In their new positions as assistant deans for faculty diversity, Dr. Boutin-Foster and Dr. Simmons will direct diversity activities and initiatives throughout the Medical College, working closely with Dean Glimcher and Dr. Barbara L. Hempstead, associate dean for faculty development and diversity, who is leading the newly established Office of Faculty Development and oversees the development of all faculty across Weill Cornell.

"These new appointments are in recognition of Dr. Boutin-Foster and Dr. Simmons' strong leadership, commitment and long-time contributions in the field of diversity at the Medical College," says Dr. Hempstead who is also the O. Wayne Isom Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell. "As our pioneering leaders in diversity, Dr. Boutin-Foster and Dr. Simmons will build upon our existing diversity programs and continue to develop creative ideas to enhance diversity at Weill Cornell."

Since the establishment of the Office of Faculty Diversity in 2009, Dr. Boutin-Foster has served as director of cultural diversity and Dr. Simmons as director of gender diversity. The Office of Faculty Diversity is dedicated to fostering a culture of inclusiveness, diversity and equity in academic leadership. It works with the entire Weill Cornell community to increase diversity within the faculty and leadership to attract and support all the talented individuals who can contribute to our tripartite mission of excellence in education, research and patient care. The Office focuses on the recruitment, mentoring, promotion and retention of a diverse faculty, encouraging an environment that is welcoming and leadership selections to develop and sustain a diverse faculty.

Dr. Boutin-Foster, in her new role as assistant dean, will also focus on increasing the diversity of underrepresented minorities at the Medical College. She will develop and implement activities and initiatives to increase underrepresented minority diversity among the faculty, medical students and residents. She will also create new mechanisms for medical students and faculty to enter into Weill Cornell, the medical profession and leadership positions. Her major goals in her new role include: expanding upon the existing programs at Weill Cornell that are designed to increase the number of women and underrepresented minority medical students and use this information to broaden Weill Cornell's reach to other groups, including veterans and the disabled; increase faculty diversity by establishing relationships with other institutions, organizations and communities to enhance recruitment; create an environment for women and ethnic minorities that will foster academic achievement and career advancement to leadership positions; and develop programs that attract and support the academic growth, recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities. In addition, she will oversee outcomes disparities research to measure and capture the success of Weill Cornell's diversity initiatives.

In her new role as assistant dean, Dr. Simmons will also focus on developing and implementing gender and diversity activities and initiatives to enhance the academic careers of women and increase lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community sensitivities. Her major goals are to improve work-life balance through the creation of a childcare facility; develop a uniform parental leave policy for all faculty; establish a course to educate faculty on appropriate work place behavior; and the enhancement of the climate of inclusion for LGBT individuals at Weill Cornell among faculty, residents, students and staff. Dr. Simmons' ultimate aim is to help the entire-faculty to find work-life balance, career growth, gender balance in consideration for academic promotions, access to childcare and establish equitable institution-wide policies on parental leave. As a world-renowned breast surgeon, Dr. Simmons is widely recognized for her innovations in the field of minimally invasive breast cancer surgery. She also has done extensive research in ways to provide minimally invasive and cosmetically advantageous surgery for her patients. Dr. Simmons will continue to serve in her current roles as the Anne K. and Edwin C. Weiskopf Professor of Surgical Oncology and professor of surgery at Weill Cornell, chief of breast surgery and director of the Weill Cornell Breast Center at the Iris Cantor Women's Health Center at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. Dr. Simmons is a graduate of Duke University and Duke University Medical School. After her surgical training she completed her Breast Oncology Fellowship at NewYork- Presbyterian Hospital where she has remained on the surgical faculty ever since. Dr. Simmons is the author of more than 100 scientific articles and book chapters and frequently lectures at national and international medical conferences.

As a leading teacher and physician-scientist, Dr. Boutin-Foster has focused her research on health disparities and interventions that apply behavioral science theories to understanding health behavior change, particularly for cardiovascular disease and obesity. She specializes in community-academic partnerships, with expertise in implementing clinical trials in community-based settings. Dr. Boutin-Foster has published many papers describing her work in diabetes, hypertension and depression. Dr. Boutin-Foster will continue in her role as associate professor of medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Public Health, Complementary and Integrative Medicine. She is also the Nanette Laitman Clinical Scholar in Public Health/Community Health at Weill Cornell and an associate attending-physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell. In addition, she directs Weill Cornell's NIH P60-funded Center of Excellence in Disparities Research and Community Engagement (CEDREC), is associate director for the Office of Multicultural and Minority Health and serves as the chair of the Diversity Committee. Dr. Boutin-Foster graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical College, completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and earned a Master's Degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research from the Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, as a Fellow of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Weill Cornell Medical CollegeWeill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances -- including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.