Wanda Lipscomb, PhD
- Senior Associate Dean, Diversity and Inclusion
- Associate Dean, Student Affairs
- Office of Student Affairs & Services
- Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Bio
Wanda Lipscomb, PhD, is the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Dr. Lipscomb is currently the Special Adviser to the President for Diversity at Michigan State University. She is a tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry and has served in several administrative roles at the college including Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Associate Chairperson of the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of Admissions. Dr. Lipscomb is the Director of the Advanced Baccalaureate Learning Experience (ABLE) Program, a conditional admissions post-baccalaureate program established in 1986. The ABLE Program has provided the educational pathway for over 300 students from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter medical school after successful completion of the program.
Dr. Lipscomb has been a voice for inclusion in her work at Michigan State University. She is the current Co-Chair of the MSU Diversity Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee charged with the development of a strategic university framework that broadly addresses diversity. Dr. Lipscomb is also a member of the University Strategic Planning Committee. She is a college co-representative to the university consortium of Faculty Excellence Advocates. She has served on the Women’s Advisory Committee to the Provost and University Task Force on Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Issues nationally. Dr. Lipscomb is the Co-Convener of the CHM Council on Diversity Education.
Dr. Lipscomb has been the successful Principal Investigator of numerous grants funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) totaling over $22 million in her tenure at MSU. Her most recent grant from HRSA is a $3.4 million award for the Center of Excellence in Diversity in Medicine. Collectively, these grants have focused on the building a diverse health professions workforce in medicine, the recruitment and retention of URM faculty, and the development of culturally competent curriculum.
Dr. Lipscomb has been actively involved in national leadership roles with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) through membership and service in its various affinity groups. She was elected to a five-year national steering committee leadership progression in the AMC Group on Student Affairs (GSA) in November 2016 beginning with service as Vice Chair. In 2018 -2019, Dr. Lipscomb served as the National Chair of the Group on Student Affairs. She is currently the GSA Past National Chair. In fall 2016, she received the Group on Student Affairs Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Lipscomb has also served as the National Chair of the GSA Committee on Student Diversity Affairs (COSDA) from 2012-2015. She served as a member of both the GSA National Steering Committee and the Group on Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) Steering Committee from 2012 – 2015. Dr. Lipscomb was also a member of the first GDI Steering Committee, serving as the founding GDI Central Region Representative. Dr. Lipscomb has served as a National Trainer for the Holistic Admissions Review in Medical School and served on the National Post-Baccalaureate Program Collaborative. She is currently serving in advisory role with the Holistic Practices Group addressing the integration of holistic principles into medical education.
In spring 2015, Dr. Lipscomb received the Distinguished Professional Service Award from the Central Region GSA for her efforts to engage the membership of the region and commitment to the development of leaders. Dr. Lipscomb completed a four-year tenure on the Central Region Steering Committee serving in the elected positions as Vice Chair, Chair-Elect, Chair, and Past Chair (2010-2014). Prior to that Dr. Lipscomb served as a Member -At -Large on the Central GSA Regional Board (2006-2008) and as the Central Region Chair-Elect of the GSA Minority Affairs Section in 2008-09.
Dr. Lipscomb is the Chair of the National Council on Diversity in the Health Professions (NCDHP). She was a 2016 Faculty Fellow for the AAMC Healthcare Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program. Dr. Lipscomb is a Past National President of the National Association of Medical Minority Educators (NAMME) and a Past National President of the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development.
Dr. Lipscomb was appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in 2018 to serve on the Consensus Study Committee on Systems Approaches to Improve Patient Care by Supporting Clinician Well-Being. The Committee Report, Taking Action Against Clinician Burnout: A Systems Approach to Professional Wellbeing, was published in October 2019 by the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Lipscomb received her BA in Mathematics from Lincoln University (PA), MA in psychology from Washington University, and PhD in counseling psychology from Michigan State University.
Related
Office of Student Affairs & Services
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion