“Dr. Salazar and I were partners in diversity, equity and inclusion work before I became Vice Chancellor. He was essential in rolling out our Unconscious Bias initiative and contributed so much to the UCSF community. He was a great friend and an inspiring DEI leader. We will miss him terribly.”
Vice Chancellor Navarro
The Office of Diversity and Outreach is deeply saddened by the recent death of our longtime collaborator and friend, René Salazar, MD, Chief Equity Officer at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Dr. Salazar spent many years at UCSF as a resident, fellow, and faculty member, and was a guiding light in making our organization more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A brilliant physician, Dr. Salazar’s empathetic nature and intellectual curiosity drew him to the grand project of diversity and equity in medicine and health care. He helped change UCSF for the better and has left an indelible impression across our institution.
A graduate of The University of Texas Science Center at San Antonio School of medicine, Dr. Salazar completed his residency and fellowship at UCSF joining the faculty in 2003. During his time at UCSF, he served as the chair of the Department of Medicine's Residency Diversity Committee and the director of diversity for the Office of Graduate Medical Education, leading efforts to recruit residents and fellows from underrepresented backgrounds. Dr. Salazar was also instrumental in developing the UCSF Unconscious Bias Initiative, aimed at unconscious bias among UCSF faculty, staff, students, and trainees in clinical settings.
Dr. Salazar joined the faculty of the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin in 2016, where he served as the Assistant Dean for Diversity. He joined the Broad Institute as Chief Equity Officer in 2021.
We mourn his loss and are indebted to his vision and his kindness.
You can read more about Dr. Salazar and his work in the UCSF Division of General Internal Medicine here.