As we bid farewell to Roslyn Goldner, who recently stepped down as the Executive Director of the Office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI), we pause to acknowledge the tremendous impact and indelible mark she has left on the Faculty of Medicine and the broader UBC community.
Roslyn was involved in the creation and operationalization of the Office of Professionalism and Respectful Environments that later evolved into the REDI Office. Under Roslyn’s leadership, the mandate of the Office of REDI expanded to provide guidance, support, and education to engage faculty, staff, and students in creating aspirational working and learning environments. Roslyn built a diverse team in the REDI Office to support the Faculty of Medicine in transforming its culture to be more inclusive and to embed EDI into strategic priorities to promote justice, human rights, belonging, inclusion, and respectful environments. Roslyn was also instrumental in supporting an in-house system for the reporting of learning environment concerns by learners across all of the Faculty of Medicine medical, health professions, and postgraduate programs.
Roslyn exemplified qualities of immense dedication and commitment to advance REDI’s mission across the Faculty of Medicine. Through her wise advice and sage counsel, Roslyn empowered us to navigate complex challenges with grace, resilience and diplomacy. We take stock of the invaluable lessons she left us with: have courage and tenacity, be persistent, think creatively and strategically, be kind and empathic, and above all, laugh—a lot. We have no doubt that Roslyn will continue to champion human rights, equity, and inclusion in her future endeavours.
The work of the REDI Office within the Faculty of Medicine will continue, building upon the foundational practices, networks, bridges, and pathways created by Roslyn. We invite those who have been touched by Roslyn’s leadership to share your messages of gratitude on our Padlet.