THE CULTURAL DOCTOR

Although Dr. Colette M. Sims considers herself as the new kid on the block only serving a few months in the Faculty Fellows Program, she is definitely no new kid to the University campus. Dr. Sims has held many rewarding positions stemming from a UA graduate student to serving as the African American Student Affairs Faculty Associate. For many, she is a well respected mentor and professional. Students around campus can"t escape her candid, "Hey Scholars!" salutes. "Scholars" is the word she uses to describe all students.

Dr. Sims is a Medical Anthropologist currently appointed to the Family and Community Medicine division. Here she engages in participatory action research and teaching and works towards furthering the understanding of the sociocultural factors that may influence health behavior. The primary goal of this research is to improve, training, and education of health care providers and racial/ethnic populations about cultural differences that may arise in healthcare settings.

In her role as Faculty Fellow, Dr. Sims finds it “imperative that all faculty remain interactive and visible outside of the classroom, especially faculty of color.” She further asserts, “Being a faculty fellow allows me to become more inclusive in my interactions with all scholars, especially those that may not take my classes. This position opens an avenue where scholars become more engaging. I believe that windows of opportunities are created for both of us to be in a diverse, inclusive learner-centered environment.”

Dr. Sims assigned location is McKale where she offers an inclusive-open door mentoring during faculty fellow hours. Here she encourages academic preparedness by engaging in dialogues on tough topics.

Dr. Sims can be reached at csims@email.arizona.edu.