Lisa Upsher, MSOL

Lisa Strother Upsher is the current Director, Health Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (HSDEI) and the University of Pittsburgh Cluster Hire and Retention Initiative Manager. In the Director position, Lisa is the conduit of the HSDEI Team, the office's communication strategy, fudiciary responsibilities, and working with the Associate Deans for Diversity across the six schools of the health sciences. Lisa serves as a leader responsible for achieving diversity, equity and inclusion goals at all levels for the Health Sciences schools at the University of Pittsburgh. The Cluster Hire and Retention Initiative is the University's commitment to increasing Pitt's academic effort to understanding and addressing race and social determinants of equity, health and well being. Lisa engages all parts of the inititiave - from automatation to recruitment to retention.

Lisa comes to the University after leading DEI efforts at CORE, the Center for Organ Recovery and Education. Lisa was instrumental in having CORE declared a site of the Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program (MOTTEP), promoting positive health behaviors through public education by focusing on diseases and behaviors that lead to the need for transplantation in minoritized communities. Lisa’s work included outreach to the community, clergy and campus. Lisa earned a Master's degree in Organizational Leadership and a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, both from Geneva College. Lisa is a cohort graduate in the distringuised National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Standards of Professional Practice Institute (SPPI). Lisa is in the process of earning a Cerftified Diversity Professional designation, the gold standard for DEIA leaders.