UWSOM Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC)

The UWSOM Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC) committee was created in response to a student led call-to-action held in May 2016. The ARAC committee is composed of students, faculty and staff and was formed with a charge from Dr. Paul Ramsey in August of 2016 to address four areas of concern raised by the students:

  1. Acknowledgement of institutional racism at the UWSOM;
  2. Race, Equity and Justice Initiative at UWSOM grounded in transparency and accountability and creating a culture at UWSOM that acknowledges the histories and experiences of people of color, teaches about health inequalities and social determinants of health, and enables marginalized people to thrive at the UWSOM framed in a model of Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations;
  3. Anti-Racist Education Training, within a year for the UWSOM deans to complete intensive anti-racism education training; and
  4. Coalition for an Anti-Racist UWSOM, work with interested students, faculty, staff and community members to build an inclusive community to add to and improve upon the list of demands developed by the Students for an Anti-Racist UWSOM (SARU) and take active steps to creating an anti-racist medical institution.

Read about ARAC’s History

ARAC-Overview

ARAC Committee (2019-2020)

Committee Chairs
Heidi Combs, MD (Faculty Co-Chair) email: hcombs@uw.edu
Lee McKoin, MS-1 (Student Co-Chair)
Mark Snowden, MD (Faculty Co-Chair) email: snowden@uw.edu
Elizabeth Stein, MS-1 (Student Co-Chair)

The ARAC committee includes student and faculty members in addition to the student and faculty co-chairs.

Ex Officio Members
Leo Morales, MD, PhD email: lsm2010@uw.edu

Committee Staff Resource
Meryl Yang

What happens at an ARAC meeting?

  • The committee listens to students and staff to share new ideas for undoing racism in UW medicine and discusses priorities for action.
  • ARACs hear from stakeholder groups (faculty development, admissions, curriculum, pre-matriculation program, student affairs, etc.)
  • ARAC gives recommendations to stakeholder groups and everyone helps stakeholders brainstorm implementation strategies.

ARAC Committee Reporting Structure:

The ARAC committee serves in an advisory role to the Vice Dean for Rural and Regional Affairs (Suzanne Allen, MD) and the Dean of the School of Medicine (Paul Ramsey, MD).

ARAC Funding:

SOM faculty and staff time are provided to the committee as well as a budget for food and refreshments.

ARAC Committee Minutes

ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-Nov-14-2019
ARAC-Town-Hall-Recommendations
ARAC-Minutes-October-17-2019
ARAC-September-19-2019-Minutes
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-May-16-2019
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-April-18-2019
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-March-21-2019
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-Feb-21-2019
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-Jan-17-2019
ARAC-Meeting-Minutes-Nov-29-2018
ARAC-Committee-Meeting-Minutes-10252018
ARAC Admissions Update 11 29 18

Background Documents

Students for an Anti-Racist UW School of Medicine (SARU) Asks – May 2016
Students for an Anti-Racist UW School of Medicine (SARU) Call to Action – May 2016
Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC) Charge Letter – Aug 2016
Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC) Report – Dec 2017
Future of the Anti-Racism Action Committee (ARAC) – Dec 2017

ARAC Townhall Feb 22, 2018

ARAC Townhall May 13, 2019

ARAC Town Hall 5_13_2019 Flyer

last updated: August 28, 2019