Cultivating Equity & Inclusion in Healthcare and Higher Education

Dr. Arif's 
Approach

I create intentional spaces for health care professionals and educators to bring their whole selves to diversity, equity, and inclusion work. My goal is to cultivate passion, engagement, and purpose through interactive education, critical dialogue, and community building in order to advocate for an equitable future in healthcare. I honor identities, experiences, and circumstances as an asset and part of our lens when promoting justice and belonging in healthcare and higher education. 

Dr. Arif's Services

Consultation

Facilitation 

Education

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Arif's Publications

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Select Workshops and Presentations 

Allyship and anti-racism in action

Patient advocacy and social justice in healthcare

Implicit bias and microaggression intervention

Integrating DEI into post-graduate training recruitment and retention

Xenophobia and immigrant health

Mapping social identities as lens to power and privilege in academia

Equity-minded approaches in teaching and assessment

Cross-cultural communication skills for healthcare professionals

Impact of health literacy on patient outcomes

Addressing social determinants of health to reduce disparities 

"One of the most impactful and actionable keynote presentations I have ever seen as a healthcare provider. As a Black women I appreciated Dr. Arif addressing what is often not spoken openly about in pharmacy. Her approach to constructively navigating a difficult topic and providing tools to tackle mental health disparities was insightful. Thank you for your advocacy and voice!"

AAPP Annual Meeting Participant 

"Dr. Arif's message was motivational and held us accountable for addressing the barriers that exist in patient care on both a systemic and individual level. I appreciated her walking through the various strategies we use to engage in advocacy, allyship, and antiracism to promote justice and achieve health equity."

Michigan Health System Pharmacist Annual Meeting Participant 

"I wish all healthcare professionals could experience Dr. Arif as their instructor. Beyond being incredibly passionate, she is an inspiring and engaging public speaker who uses relevant real-life scenarios to deliver her content. What I learned in her lectures gave me a newfound understanding for the impact of health disparities, how to tackle dismantling systems of oppression and address my own implicit biases. Dr. Arif opened my eyes to the importance to the practice of cultural humility with my future patients and colleagues." 

Cultural Care & Public Health Course, Pharmacy Student

"Dr. Arif fostered a safe and inclusive learning environment allowing students to feel comfortable and respected during her in-class discussions about topics that are often avoided in most health science courses. She emphasized that these conversations were just the beginning of our personal and professional growth, and I couldn't agree more! She truly embodies what it means to be culturally sensitive healthcare professional and educator." 

Osteopathic Medicine Student

"After attending Sally’s workshop, it was very clear that she holds the unique expertise and ability to put DEI ideas into action. She held space for authentic dialogue around complex issues. I didn’t come away with all the answers, but I now I have a better idea of the meaningful questions that I need to ask myself and my students if I want to build an inclusive classroom. She centered self-reflection around our own identities and experiences with injustices. We named the tensions and discomfort, which as cis-gendered white woman can feel awkward. Her workshop was designed to not only learn the tools of allyship and bias intervention, but more importantly to think deeply and listen actively to others to minimize harm. Thank you for giving me the most valuable DEI professional development! " 

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity in Academia (IDEA) Program Faculty Participant 

Collaboration