Join us on this week’s Black Doctors Talk Podcast which features our guest, Dr. Ashley N. Campbell who speaks to us on the topics of Black culture, social impact, and the importance of diversity equity and inclusion work in higher education and industry. Dr. Campbell’s diverse experiences in multicultural programming, organizational development, and data analysis have positioned her to create transformative change. Currently, Dr. Campbell serves as Director of Equity and Inclusion Research and Research Education with the Office of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Dr. Campbell is also a faculty member within the Integral and Transpersonal Psychology Department at the California Institute of Integral Studies. In addition, Dr. Campbell serves as Global Co-Chair with the University of Rochester’s Black Alumni Network and Vice-Chair for Niche Market Insights Foundation, Incorporated.

During the podcast, Dr. Campbell shares how her father ignited a passion in her for Black culture and her desire to see equity in the black community. Having seen such Black excellence in her life growing in the DC area, Dr. Campbell has long been inspired to see this excellence spread throughout her community. She understood her assignment and that in order to create change she had to learn more in order to do more. Like most, she experienced challenges on her journey to the doctorate. For her it included being a mother, wife, and working full-time which caused a moment of stillness. But she shares the importance of having friends that provided encouragement, which could be as simple as “Girl get yourself together”! While Dr. Campbell describes DEI as the new “sexy” term, engaging in the work is serious and needs to be an established priority in higher education to ensure the voices of students are valued and then actions are taken in response to their needs.

Dr. Campbell earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Transformative Studies from California Institute of Integral Studies; Master of Science, Education, Inclusion, and Urban Teaching & Leadership from University of Rochester; and Bachelor of Arts in English also from University of Rochester. With such a busy schedule, Dr. Campbell also leads a nonprofit alongside her husband where she resides in upstate New York.