The Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE) is led by Dr. Lisa McBride, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). The DICE office is also supported by Jerome Wilcox, Director of Inclusive Excellence, Firoj Gurung, Senior Program Coordinator, and Mayra Guardiola, Senior Program Coordinator.
Lisa M. McBride, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (ADDEIB)
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement
lisa.m.mcbride@dartmouth.edu
Dr. McBride, a Ferguson, Missouri, native has an extensive career and is distinguished by her commitment to equity and justice, both in education and in the wider public arena. As the newly appointed Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. She is responsible for leveraging diversity, inclusion and belonging to drive the school’s mission of excellence in medical education, delivery of care and scholarship.
She previously served as Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion at Texas Christian University (TCU) School of Medicine while maintaining her appointment as Professor of Medical Education. During her tenure at TCU, Dr. McBride developed various signature programs in an effort to achieve Inclusive Excellence . These included the Diversity and Inclusion Mentoring Network program, Med Safe Zone training, “Black Men in White Coats” initiative, the “Out for Health” student conference, a Latina STEM+M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics plus Medicine) and Biomedical Opportunities Summer Pipeline program, and a longitudinal Health Equity curriculum track. For such efforts, TCU School of Medicine was recognized as the 2020 and 2021 Health Professions HEED (Higher Education Excellence in Diversity) Awardee by INSIGHT Into Diversity— the oldest and largest diversity magazine and website in higher education. Additionally, she was awarded the 2022 Community Service award by the Greater Fort Worth area Negro Women Business and Professional Women’s Club.
Dr. McBride began her career as a police officer in her hometown of Ferguson, Missouri. She then transitioned to a federal criminal investigator position for eight years where she worked in various countries as an undercover operative with the US Department of Justice.
Jerome Wilcox (he/him/his)
Director, Inclusive Excellence
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement
jerome.wilcox@dartmouth.edu
Jerome Wilcox was born and raised in Washington, DC and he is the newly appointed Director of Inclusive Excellence. In his role, he works with Dr. Lisa McBride, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADDEI) and others across the institution to infuse diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts into all aspects of Geisel, ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are essential to the mission and success of every area of the Geisel community.
With a passion for community engagement, Jerome served as an associate minister at the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, DC where he focused on community advocacy through faith-based partnerships with the American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates. These partnerships gave way for bridging the gap between these organizations and underrepresented communities through health screenings, education, and lay person training in clinical presentations to achieve health equity by cultivating the next-generation of community-oriented health care providers to improve health care for all.
Jerome was named a 2022 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Champion by DiversityFIRST for his commitment and passion for creating inclusive spaces for all to feel seen and heard. With more than 9 years of experience in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) work, Jerome is excited to join Geisel as the institution adopts a new strategy of leveraging diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging to drive the school’s mission of excellence in medical education, delivery of care and scholarship.
Jerome received his degree in Criminology from Gallaudet University—the premier institution of learning, teaching and research for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and received his Diversity Leadership certification from University of South Florida Muma College of Business. He is a retired non-commissioned officer with the United States Air Force where he proudly served as a paralegal and court reporter for their Judge Advocate Generals Corp.
Firoj Gurung (he/him/his)
Senior Program Coordinator
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement
firoj.gurung@dartmouth.edu
Firoj Gurung is the Senior Program Coordinator in the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement at the Dartmouth, Geisel School of Medicine. He is a first-generation Nepali from the indigenous Gurung tribe who grew up migrating throughout multiple communities of India and Nepal, where he gained exposure to different languages, cultures, and religions. Firoj takes pride in being the first in his family to attend college and become the resource for new generations to explore, embrace, and express their identities in positive and creative ways. Firoj advocates for creating a welcoming and engaging space in the higher education system for students coming from different parts of the world. He recently joined 10,000+ individuals from the international community at the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Conference and presented on “Global Buddies: Creating a pairing program for New International Students”. In his personal time, he enjoys cooking for others, doing outdoor activities, and volunteering in local nonprofit organizations.
Mayra A. Guardiola (she/they)
Senior Program Coordinator
Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement
mayra.guardiola@dartmouth.edu
Hailing from Dallas, Texas and with strong family ties in Coahuila, Mexico, Mayra is a first-generation queer Tejana with a passion for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. A former student leader at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, Mayra received the 2017 Outstanding Student Service to Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Award for her activism and community conversations on DACAmented student needs and harm caused by local police and ICE agreements in Tarrant County. She has also taught several undergraduate courses on English composition, global and women of color literature and theory, as well as women and gender studies courses. Their research, pedagogical framework, and student service is deeply rooted in praxis in the form of service learning. She has provided opportunities for her students to work directly with local non-profit groups such as Girls Inc. and the Texas Equal Access (TEA) Fund to provide everyday context for the work learned in the classroom. Furthermore, Mayra has been involved in several grassroots organizations such as Trans Pride Initiative, a Texas-based prison-letter writing program designed to assist trans people who are incarcerated address any issues they face while in prison, including navigating the prison system and accessing gender-affirming healthcare. Mayra is always happy to chat with Geisel community members and students anytime and welcomes any opportunity to partner on DEIB programs, events, and initiatives.
