By Robert Hood

For Abdur Shemsu, assistant director of corporate partnerships at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals Foundation, diversifying the portraits hanging on the walls of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital at Oakland and San Francisco shows the commitment of the organization to serve the entire community.</p>

Given the success in Oakland last year, Shemsu expanded the project to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital-Mission Bay this year.

"What started out as a small project in 2020 to diversify the all-white male portraits on the walls of BCH-Oakland has taken on a life of its own," Shemsu said. He said many people in the organization have taken the opportunity to highlight BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) colleagues across the Benioff Children’s Hospital campus in the spirit of celebrating the diversity that makes the UCSF community strong.

Shemsu’s project was one of nine supporting the health and wellbeing of the UCSF community chosen to receive a Community Well-being Grant from Wellness & Community, a department within UCSF Campus Life Services. A total of 310 applications were received.

"The portraits celebrate the diversity that makes our community strong, while underscoring our commitment to creating a sense of belonging for our patients, families, and staff," Shemsu said.

The call for nominations went out in early December and garnered 50 exemplary staff members. The caucus then assembled a committee of DEI and Black Caucus members to help with the selection process. Twelve staff were selected to honor diversity, equity and inclusion as part of the project. The portraits of selected staff represent all levels of the UCSF organization, and are featured in pop-up banners in the front lobby of BCH San Francisco, the
Shorenstein Family Café corridor, and the lobby of UCSF Bakar Cancer Hospital, which began June 1 and runs through 2022.

The multi-pronged campaign launched with a global email to all BCH staff in Oakland and San Francisco, along with a social media campaign on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

The project was organized by the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital’s Black Caucus. "I am very inspired by this project," Shemsu said. "I think it’s beautiful – the photos as well as the sentiment. I hope we can continue to strive and be a welcoming environment for everyone, eliminating bias and structural racism."

Shemsu said the project illustrates the commitment of the organization to serve the community. "I also hope it instills in young patients of color, an interest in the medical field and hospital work," he said.

Shemsu explained that it’s extremely important for employees and pediatric patients to see people who look like them, not just on the walls of the hospital, but in all facets of life. "Our goal from the beginning was to create a more welcoming atmosphere for our patients and staff. This project is just the start of UCSF tackling a long overdue issue."

Shemsu said he has received a lot of positive feedback on the project. "Having the diversity of our staff reflected in the community that we serve and celebrating that diversity on the walls of the hospital is empowering."

The most difficult aspect of the project was narrowing down the submissions. "It was far more difficult than I expected," he said, "but it also highlights the dedication and connection many of the nominators, most of whom are managers, have with their staff."

What surprised him most was the willingness of staff to open up about their experience, the struggles they faced, and how they worked to overcome them at UCSF.

"Some were, or still are, the only person of color in their departments while others immigrated to the U.S. because of war and found refuge in medicine," he said. "Each nominee has a unique and compelling story of why they work for UCSF and their commitment to making this institution better for all."