Two honored with Faculty Diversity Awards

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
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Posted: Dec 5, 2011


UH Mānoa’s Commission on Diversity has honored two faculty members—Brenda Cartwright of the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science, and Satoru Izutsuof the John A. Burns School of Medicine—with 2011 Faculty Diversity Awards. 
 
The recognition is made annually to faculty demonstrating an exemplary and ongoing commitment to enhancing diversity.  
 
Among Cartwright’s contributions is obtaining a multi-year federal grant to support students in the Rehabilitation Counseling program. Through this funding and her close work with KOKUA, the program is entirely online and accessible to students with vision and hearing disabilities. Findings from a survey she conducted with rehabilitation counselors led to guidelines that assist those counselors to more appropriately and respectfully interact with culturally diverse client groups. Her contributions to the Rehabilitation Counseling Program have helped to establish it as unique within the Pacific Basin.  
 
Cartwright is also a staunch advocate for increasing diversity among faculty. She took a lead role in planning for and analyzing situations facing faculty of color, leading to the groundbreaking “Report on the Status of Faculty of African Descent” across the UH system.   
 
For nearly 25 years, Dr. Izutsu—who holds the title of Director for Medical School Admissions and Vice Dean at JABSOM—has worked tirelessly to recruit, admit and graduate students from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in medicine. His impact often begins with the annual selection of admissions committee members to cull through 1,800 applications, of whom 64 are accepted. He strives to assemble a committee of diverse ethnicity, professional discipline, country of origin and gender, who members function as an unbiased body to seek students who are committed to Hawai’i and as diverse as its population. 
 
In addition, since some applicants come from disadvantaged backgrounds, up to 12 of those on the cusp of acceptance are annually offered intensive support via a post-baccalaureate program, Imi Ho’ola, with provisional admission into JABSOM. This program has garnered the distinction of graduating over 200 physicians since its inception in 1973.  
 
The office of Student Equity, Excellence & Diversity (SEED) provides administrative support to the Manoa Commission on Diversity.  See http://www.hawaii.edu/diversity/.
 
Photo caption: Dr. Satoru Izutsu of JABSOM and Brenda Cartwright of the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Science have won 2011 Faculty Diversity Awards.