About CGE

Beginning over 20 years ago as the Rape Prevention Education Program, then the Women's Resource Center and now the Center for Gender Equity (CGE), this versatile campus unit has become an integral part of UCSF's teaching, research, patient care and public service mission. In this role, the Center seeks to create programs and initiate policies that sustain an inclusive and equitable campus community.

 
  CGE has evolved to both accommodate and anticipate the changing needs of the UCSF community, as well as changes in the broader social context, with respect to what constitutes meaningful gender analysis and which tools are most effective in addressing persistent inequities.

The programs, services and resources provided under the three components of CGE - Women and Gender Resources, Sexual and Relationship Violence Resources and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resources - are informed by over five decades of collective professional training and experience. Staff areas of expertise include:

  • adult education
  • group process and facilitation
  • program planning
  • public policy
  • community outreach
  • social and cultural studies
  • public health
The Center for Gender Equity's goals include:
  • Promoting an understanding of the role of gender and sexuality in our lives and our society
  • Supporting equity and achievement for women as they pursue their intellectual, professional, and personal goals.
  • Enhancing the quality of women's and men's lives by providing services that address the myriad of diverse backgrounds and experiences of all people.
  • Serving as a liaison for women and men to existing campus and community services.
  • Providing outreach to the Bay Area community.
  • Participating in the formulation and review of policies, procedures and programs relating to gender equity.

CGE Staff

Amy Levine, Ed.D., CGE Director
alevine@genderequity.ucsf.edu, 415.476.5837
Amy Levine, who has a master's degree in counseling psychology and a doctorate in education from UC Berkeley, started her career at the University of California, San Francisco in 1979. She was the first coordinator of UCSF's Rape Prevention Education Program, and provided anti-violence education and advocacy services to victim/survivors of sexual violence.

In the early 1980s, the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women began discussions on creating a women's center, and in 1984 the Women's Resource Center opened its doors with Levine appointed as the first Director.

The center evolved, broadening its scope and changing its tactics, and was renamed the Center for Gender Equity to be more inclusive. As Executive Director, Levine manages the operation which includes resources for UCSF's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members, and is concentrating its advocacy efforts for women on health, leadership and public policy issues.

Levine has substantial experience and training on topics which effect women and places a high priority on being sensitive to issues of ethnic diversity, sexual orientation, age, ability, etc. In addition, she is a member of the Women ‘s Leadership Board at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government and has received numerous awards, including Women Who Make a Difference from the San Francisco chapter of the Commission on the Status of Women for her service in the areas of employment and academic, economic and social advancement of women. Furthermore, she was awarded the UCSF Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women for her work promoting gender equity.

Mijza M. Sanchez, MPA, CGE Assistant Director
mijiza.sanchez@ucsf.edu, 415.476.5223
Mijiza leads several programs at CGE, including the Turnaround Mentoring Program, the Women of Color Initiative, and the Sexual and Relationship Violence Initiative. She is a certified Domestic Violence counselor and Women's Basic Self-defense instructor. Mijiza is a highly motivated professional with over ten years experience in public health and community outreach. She is dedicated to health disparities research and advocacy with an emphasis on underserved and ethnic communities. She received her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Marketing from Virginia Union University and her Masters in Public Administration with an emphasis in Organization Development from University of San Francisco. She is passionate about confronting the HIV/AIDS pandemic both nationally and globally by both raising awareness and diminishing the suffering of those affected and/or infected by the disease.

Chelsea Simms, CGE Program Assistant
csimms@genderequity.ucsf.edu, 415.476.5222
Chelsea's responsibilities include event preparation, website maintenance and general support to the entire staff of the Center for Gender Equity. She graduated from Pitzer College, one of the Claremont Colleges, in 2005 with a degree in human biology. She is a talented public health professional with experience working for both UCSF's Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy as well as the California Department of Health Services' STD Control Branch. In her free time she volunteers as a Health Educator at the Women's Community Clinic in San Francisco and is committed to women's health advocacy and promoting LGBTQQI rights.

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