Graves to further work with diversity
Dr. Cornelia (Connie) R. Graves, associate professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, has been named assistant dean for Minority Affairs. She will devote 25 percent of her time to the duties of the office headed by George C. Hill, Ph.D., Levi Watkins Jr. Professor and Associate Dean for Diversity.
“It’s a great honor and a great responsibility as well as a new path for the medical school and for me,” Graves said. “I’m very excited. Vanderbilt is a great place. Adding diversity will only increase its potential.”
Graves, who graduated from medical school at the University of Arkansas, served a residency at Vanderbilt in Ob/Gyn from 1987 until 1991, and was a Maternal-Fetal Medicine fellow from 1991 to 1993. She will continue to be director of the hospital’s Obstetrical Critical Care Unit and maintain her high-risk obstetrical practice.
“My goal is to work with the office of diversity counseling students and residents and assisting with Vanderbilt’s goal of achieving diversity for the medical school,” she said. “Vanderbilt, in some respects, is faring well in the advancement of diverse faculty, etc., but there’s a lot to do. One of my goals is to make sure that diverse individuals who come to Vanderbilt enjoy it and want to stay.”