LaMisha Hill is a licensed psychologist, diveristy expert and educator.  She currently serves as the Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Office of Diversity and Outreach (ODO).

 Here’s what LaMisha’s nominator had to say about her:

 "Dr. Hill works tirelessly to provide diversity education and training across UCSF. Her facilitation and collaboration with many different  departments to help them better understand their own unconscious bias yield deeply impacts our community's climate and culture. She is a thoughtful colleague and a humble leader who has  gone above and beyond to help make where we work and study more inclusive and equitable." 

- Tiffani Chan, MA, Project Manager, Office of Diversity and Outreach

 LaMisha’s Bio:  

Originally from the Chicago-land area with family roots in Mississippi, LaMisha completed her undergraduate studies at Loyola University Chicago and graduate studies in counseling psychology at the University of Oregon. LaMisha began her journey into the UC system as a psychology pre-doctoral intern at UC Riverside, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at UC Berkeley. In these roles, she provided direct counseling services including individual therapy, group therapy, mental health outreach for undergraduate and graduate students. Having a desire to contribute to institutional change on a broader level, LaMisha began her professional career in the Office of Diversity and Outreach at UCSF and sought to leverage her skills as a psychologist and commitments to equity and inclusion. While beginning as the Director of the Multicultural Resource Center, she saw the need for DEI education and space holding across the campus, thus expanding her role and offerings to include the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program and other partnerships with UCSF departments to support the DEI education and training. In her current role, LaMisha oversees the programmatic functions of the Multicultural Resource Center which focuses on celebrating diversity, social justice initiatives, and mentorship for historically underrepresented learners. She leads ODO’s diversity educational efforts, facilitating workshops and presentations across the UCSF community. Dr. Hill is an Assistant Adjunct Faculty and the interim Assistant Chair for Equity, Inclusion, and Structural Change for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences (ObGyn & RS). 

Can you tell us about an important role model or mentor in your life?

During graduate school, I had many wonderful faculty advisors, but I did not have a mentor -someone who I could share openly with and who would in-turn provide guidance and wisdom. Doctoral psychology programs also have a one-year clinical internship that uses a “match” process. While I applied to many programs across the country and had a few strong interviews, unfortunately, when match day came and I opened my computer screen the results read “No Match”. This was my first professional “failure” and I felt deeply embarrassed and ashamed when all of my peers were going off to amazing institutions. During the phase two process I reached out to the training director at UC Berkeley, Dr. Claytie Davis, and even though we did not have a previous relationship, he was the only person who would take my call and give me feedback. This call restored my confidence and changed the trajectory of my professional career. I went on to match in phase two at UC Riverside and a year later, was accepted as a post-doctoral fellow at UC Berkeley under his leadership. This experience was powerful on so many levels. Not only did I come full-circle in this journey but I felt that someone truly saw my potential and gave me a chance.

This experience taught me so many lessons:

• The Power of the Reframe: I could tell so many versions of this story such as unfairness, systemic inequality, or failure. The story that I choose to tell is about the power of mentorship and personal transformation.
• The Power of Mentorship: It wasn’t until I met Dr. Davis and looked back on my graduate experience that I realized what I was missing the whole time was a mentor. Since that moment I have tried to build and maintain mentoring relationships. Mentorship comes in many forms and for me, just being able to send an email or call someone when I have a question or need guidance is how I engage mentors.
• Giving Back: Because of this profound experience, I do my best to “pass it on” and take time for other students and staff at UCSF (and beyond…) to listen to them and try to encourage them on their journey as well. Professionally UCSF can be a very difficult place to navigate, but if everyone shares some of their wisdom and helps to make a connection or introduction people may feel more supported and encouraged.  

What advice would you give yourself early on in your career?

Of the many pearls of wisdom from my mother, one of the most powerful in application to career and professional growth is to never tell yourself “no” or that you can’t do something. The world is hard enough and you should be your biggest cheerleader and source of encouragement. Reach out and build relationships to exercise your help-seeking muscles. In turn, when you need something you will feel less reluctant or hesitant to ask for support.

Meet other outstanding women of UCSF Health through Our Spotlight.