UMich anti-racist hiring initiative to 'decolonize educational material'

The University of Michigan will hire five tenure-track positions focused on 'Anti-Racist Policy Analysis.'

New faculty will also be expected to create new pedagogies based on 'anti-racist and social justice methods.'

The University of Michigan Department of Health Management and Policy is hiring for tenure-track research positions on “Anti-Racist Policy Analysis.”

This new set of five hires will be distributed among the Department of Health Management and Policy, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan Medical School, and School of Nursing, and School of Information. 

Research will focus on “[r]acial bias and unintended racist consequences in health, health care, and the data and technologies that enable healthcare.” 

This research is part of a larger “five-year strategic objective to create an anti-racist curriculum and decolonize educational material, with the goal of developing anti-racist graduates.”

The cluster will also create an equity pedagogy to integrate “anti-racist and social justice methods will be integrated into all degree programs and professional development programs for faculty.” 

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Per the job description, these positions are part of a larger, university-wide initiative to tackle racial disparities in healthcare. Over the next three years, the university plans to hire at least 20 new faculty with an expertise in anti-racism. 

Several colleges at the University of Michigan unveiled an “Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative” in which they hope to hire new faculty to help with this cause. 

Participating colleges include the College of Pharmacy, Medical School, School of Information, School of Nursing, and the School of Public Health.

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According to the initiative, these programs will exist as a complement to already existing efforts such as the Racial Equity to Advance Community Health (REACH) clinical pharmacy efforts as well as the workforce diversity initiatives.

The University of Michigan currently employs 82 diversity officers and pays them $10.6 million annually in salary and benefits, according to MLive.com.

Campus Reform reached out to the University of Michigan for comment, but they did not respond in time for the publication of this article.