For Release: May 21, 2020
Daryll C. Dykes, PhD, MD, JD, is named Chief Diversity Officer
Daryll C. Dykes, PhD, MD, JD, Upstate professor of orthopedics, a health law scholar and a health policy consultant, has been named as the university’s new chief diversity officer (CDO). The appointment, effective immediately, was announced by Interim President Mantosh Dewan, MD.
“Dr. Dykes brought many remarkable talents with him when he joined Upstate two years ago, and I am pleased that he will serve as our chief diversity officer. Our goal is to sharpen our focus and measurably increase diversity in all aspects of our campus—clinical care, research and education,” Dewan said.
Dr. Dykes succeeds Malika Carter, PhD, who served as the interim chief diversity officer since April 2019. Carter will serve as interim Institutional Equity Officer through mid-August.
“I want to thank and acknowledge the excellent leadership of Dr. Carter,” Dewan said. “Upstate has benefited greatly from her knowledge and leadership on many important issues. We looked forward to—and thank her—for helping create a seamless leadership transition.”
Dr. Dykes’s appointment is part of a reorganization of Upstate’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI).
ODI’s investigatory and Title IX training function will now be the responsibility of a new office, the Office of Institutional Equity.
“It is important that we streamline our diversity, training and investigatory efforts, so we can more effectively and efficiently move our university forward in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and student body,” Dewan said. “Equally important is the expedient resolution of employee concerns, and anti-discrimination training.”
“By separating our training and investigatory protocols to a separate office, we can better assist our employees and have a greater focus on our university’s strategic plan to increase diversity,” Dewan said.
The Office of Institutional Equity, which will report to senior vice president for finance and administration, will be overseen by an Institutional Equity Officer. Carter will serve in an interim role through mid-August. The office will be staffed by a full-time investigator. The office will be responsible for overseeing all investigations of discrimination, harassment and Title IX complaints, as well as conducting campus-wide anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training. In addition to training and investigations, this office will ensure compliance to SUNY policies.
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which will report to the president, will be led by Chief Diversity Officer Dykes. The office will coordinate all diversity initiatives, including hiring and retention of staff, as well as assisting in overseeing student diversity initiatives. It will provide ongoing assessments of campus climate and work collaboratively with departments and programs on diversity efforts. The office will also build on current Upstate-community connections to enhance opportunities for engagement on diversity issues.
Dr. Dykes joined the Upstate faculty in August 2018 as professor of orthopedics. He previously served as president and CEO of Medical and Surgical Spine Consultants of Minnesota and served as a member of the faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Dr. Dykes is no stranger to Upstate. Born and raised on Syracuse’s west side—a George W. Fowler High School graduate—Dr. Dykes was one of the first students to complete Upstate’s MD/PhD program, where his research earned him several awards, including the John Bernard Henry, MD, Endowed Scholarship and Award and the David G. Murray, MD Award for Excellence in Orthopedic Surgery.
