Forbes has just released its second ranking of America’s best employers for diversity, and the University of Iowa made the list.

UI Health Care was No. 24 among a list of 500 top diversity-focused employers, and they came in at No. 2 in the Health Care & Social category.

“If we want our university to be the best it can be in its missions of health care, and education, and research, there’s really no substitute for having a diverse workforce,” said David Moser, interim associate dean in the UIHC office of cultural affairs and diversity initiatives. “It’s critically important to treat our patients, families, and visitors with cultural respect.”

Forbes partnered with Statistica, a market research company to create the rankings. According to the Forbes website, it surveyed 50,000 Americans at companies with at least 1,000 employees.

“While it may often seem that no employer is getting diversity and inclusion right, many organizations have struggled to cultivate cultures that welcome and support all workers,” the Forbes website said. “Yet at the same time, some companies have made progress.”

Moser believes there is still work to do at UIHC.

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“So many people [here] work hard to make this a welcoming place,” Moser said. “I have to say, though, that that excitement is halted by the knowledge that we have so much more we have to do. Diversity and inclusion are not boxes we want to check off, they’re values that we will always strive to improve.”

When new faculty members, employees, and residents start working, UIHC stresses the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion, Moser said.

There are numerous student groups focusing on supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds and marginalized groups, and UIHC supports travel conferences about diversity and inclusion, he said. The UI offers an online database called CultureVision, on which anyone on campus may log on and find out norms and characteristics of people from different backgrounds.

“We get some of our ideas looking at best practices from other institutions,” Moser said. “We are wide open to new ideas from faculty, patients, visitors, staff, and students.”

Many departments in the Carver College of Medicine have their own diversity committees, he said.

“I’m glad we have this committee,” said Eva Schoen, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and a diversity committee member. “Having the opportunity to pause and consciously think about what we are doing, who is coming here. That’s really important to me.”

The diversity committee started a few years ago when the medical school realized it could improve on understanding and educating about representation, said Clinical Professor Peter Daniolos, the head of the diversity committee in the Psychiatry Department.

Each department examines how it may improve finding more diverse groups and how it can be more welcoming to patients, visitors, and employees. The committees also researches different diversity groups including ethnicity, religion, LGBTQIA+, and gender.

“It’s not just a bunch of people talking; people are really looking at what we can do to make a difference,” Daniolos said. “You really want your medical workplace to represent society at large.”