Staff Profile
Robert Amelio
October 16, 2006
Dana-Farber hires its first vice president for diversity
Robert Amelio
Robert Amelio, MSW, MS, director of workplace learning and performance at Harvard Medical School, will join Dana-Farber on Nov. 6 as its first vice president for diversity. The Institute is the only hospital in the Boston area that has created such a position, according to Dana-Farber Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Janet Porter.
In this role, Amelio will work closely with leadership and the Institute's Diversity Council to lead and support the many ongoing efforts focused on racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other forms of diversity – and to assure that Dana-Farber remains welcoming to staff, patients, families, volunteers and other members of all the communities its serves.
Amelio, 52, has served the Harvard medical community for 10 years, initially working as the director of organizational development and diversity. In that position, he created an annual strategic plan for diversity initiatives and established the school's first diversity-wide conference. Most recently, he was the director of workplace learning and performance at HMS.
Prior to joining Harvard, Amelio worked as a diversity consultant and adjunct faculty member at Regis, Emerson and Simmons colleges for 15 years. A graduate of the University of Vermont, he received his master of science degree from Emerson College and his master of social work degree from Simmons College.
"We are excited about Robert's potential to further advance our diversity efforts," says Porter, to whom Amelio will report. "He brings such a wealth of experience in diversity and organizational development and workplace learning."
A man on a mission
Amelio succeeds James Wall Sr., who served for two years as special assistant to the president for diversity and helped mold Dana-Farber's diversity training and initiatives. Wall left Dana-Farber last fall for a healthcare position in New Jersey.
The new vice president position reflects Dana-Farber's commitment to diversity in the workplace and patient care environment. Over the past few years, more than 80 percent of the organization's managers and 50 percent of the organization's staff have attended diversity training, and outreach efforts to underserved communities have grown, among other activities. Since Wall's departure, an interim task force of Patricia Reid Ponte, RN, DNSc, FAAN; Jay Harris, MD; Sharon Perryman, RN; and Bonita Cox has overseen the Institute's diversity initiatives, and plans for staffing these programs were put on hold until Porter came on board.
Amelio says he is eager to begin his work at Dana-Farber. "I am incredibly excited about the opportunity to participate in the mission of curing cancer," says Amelio, "and I look forward to working with the community to understand and embrace diversity as part of the Dana-Farber culture."
