UCSF Psychiatry Climate Committee

Campus mural

Photo: Susan Merrill

The UCSF Department of Psychiatry is committed to creating and maintaining a community where all individuals who participate in department programs and activities can work together in an atmosphere free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation.

The UCSF Psychiatry Climate Committee was established more than thirty years ago with the goal of creating a departmental resource to address grievances involving faculty members and to further our commitment to providing a supportive and positive work environment for all. Today, its services are available to all UCSF Psychiatry faculty, staff, and trainees who believe they may have encountered discrimination or harassment by a department faculty member.

University of California policy prohibits discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services. It also prohibits retaliation against any individual or person seeking employment for bringing a complaint of discrimination or harassment. If you feel that have been subject to such discrimination or harassment, we encourage you to contact your local representative or any member of the Climate Committee:

All services provided by the Climate Committee are voluntary and confidential. Multiple forms of intervention options may be offered to the person contacting the committee, depending on the situation. These include consultations, informal mediation between the parties, exploring alternatives, and providing information on other courses of action.

There are times when particular allegations could trigger legally mandated reporting; the person seeking assistance would be advised of this before divulging details of the situation. For cases requiring further intervention, the Climate Committee would inform the department chair, who reports these incidents to the UCSF Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination. Further information about additional university, federal, state, and local resources are available on their website.