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Programs & Events

UT Southwestern collaborates with campus partners to offer programs and initiatives that promote an engaging and inclusive employee experience.

Signature Events and Month Celebrations

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration
    In partnership with the Office for Institutional Opportunity and the Office of Student Diversity & Inclusion, the Staff Belonging team co-hosts this event annually in January to commemorate and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and award scholarships to UT Southwestern medical students currently exuding excellence and service in the community. This event highlights the importance of service to the community, diversity in science and medicine, and promoting justice in health care and other aspects of society.
  • Black History Month Celebration
    Each year, UT Southwestern partners with the African American Employee Business Resource Group to host a series of events in celebration of Black History Month in February. For Black History Month, UT Southwestern hosts an annual campus Signature Event where national leaders in the areas of medicine, government, or higher education are invited to campus to share knowledge and celebrate the achievements of African Americans in U.S. history.
  • Women’s History Month Celebration
    Each year in March, UT Southwestern partners with the Women & Allies Employee Business Resource Group to host an event in celebration of Women’s History Month. For more than 40 years, Women’s History Month has been celebrated in March to honor the contributions and achievements women have made to the United States and internationally. The Women & Allies Employee Business Resource Group leads the development and execution of numerous events throughout the month to recognize the amazing power of women in our workforce.
  • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration
    Each year in May, UT Southwestern partners with the Asian-Pacific Islander Business Resource Group to host an event in celebration of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month began as a 10-day celebration and became a federally recognized monthlong heritage celebration in 1992. UTSW celebrates this month to honor the contributions and achievements Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans have made to the history of the United States and internationally.
  • PRIDE Month Celebration
    UT Southwestern partners with the LGBTA Business Resource Group to host the annual PRIDE Month Celebration in June, bringing together UTSW students, staff, and faculty to commemorate and recognize the institutional and community impact LGBT individuals and allies have had at UT Southwestern and around the world. Programming includes participation in parades, an annual Signature Event, and numerous other events throughout the month. 
  • Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
    Since 2017, UT Southwestern has partnered with the Hispanic Latino Business Resource Group to host this program highlighting the importance of service to the community, belonging in science and medicine, and promoting justice in healthcare and various aspects of society. 
  • Tribute to Veterans Celebration
    UT Southwestern partners with the Veterans Business Resource Group to host the annual Tribute to Veterans program that honors the more than 800 veteran employees who are also veterans or on active duty in November. This event brings together the campus community to honor veterans' service, highlight their role in belonging, and raise awareness about their unique contributions to science, medicine, and health care.

Special Events and Recognition Programs

  • Juneteenth Celebration
    Each year, UT Southwestern partners with the African American Employee Business Resource Group to host an event in celebration of Juneteenth, the oldest known celebration that honors the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day of June 19, 1865, when federal troops arrived in Texas to take control of the state and guarantee that all slaves be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full 2 ½ years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Slavery would not be abolished completely until the 13th Amendment, which was ratified six months later. Juneteenth is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
  • Keystone Awards The annual BRG Keystone Awards and the BRG Appreciation Reception is held in July each year to highlight the impact made through the efforts of UT Southwestern's Business Resource groups. The Keystone Award exemplifies a steadfast commitment to inclusion and service. Through their everyday work and actions as BRG members, awardees are recognized for making significant contributions to building community, engagement, and momentum, and have made a positive difference in the lives of others at UT Southwestern.
  • Diversity Week
    National Diversity Week was founded in 1998 to raise awareness about belonging that has shaped and continues to shape the United States. Officially, National Diversity Week falls in the full first week of October. At UT Southwestern, the Office for Access & Title IX's Staff Belonging team utilizes Diversity Week to showcase UTSW’s six Business Resource Groups (BRGs). Our BRGs are instrumental in creating a sense of belonging and providing essential professional development resources for their members.

Community-Building Initiaitives

  • MLK Acts of Service
    Each year in January UT Southwestern and other healthcare institutions, including Parkland Memorial Hospital and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, partnered with other community organizations to offer a variety of service projects for their employees. The program brings together UTSW's values of teamwork and compassion. 
  • Healthcare Scholars Summer Internship Program
    The summer internship program is intended to provide students with an immersive experience in healthcare settings. As of 2022, our summer programs have educated and trained nearly 400 undergraduate interns in the last 30 years. Through the Staff Belonging team, interns are matched each summer to departmental placements across UT Southwestern’s campus for full-time paid internships. Past preceptorships have included experience in clinical, laboratory, and hospital settings. In addition, interns attend professional development seminars and participate in peer mentoring to learn more about the many professional paths in the health sciences. The program runs from June through August with applications opening in January and decisions announced in March. The program also places students in partnership with community partners such as the Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Leadership Program and other community-based internship opportunities. 
  • Greater Dallas Health Care Diversity Summit
    UT Southwestern’s Office for Access & Title IX hosted the Greater Dallas Health Care Diversity Summit for the fifth consecutive year in 2021. This event brings together healthcare and diversity leaders from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area to promote belonging and opportunities for underserved populations to enter and access the healthcare market in this region.
  • KwanzaaFest HealthFest Community Event
    For more than 30 years, UT Southwestern and other healthcare institutions, including Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, have partnered with Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price annually to host KwanzaaFest HealthFest, which brings together over 50,000 people for screenings, and health care services. UT Southwestern staff and faculty volunteer to provide health services and facilitate logistics to execute this two-day community event.
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