Get to Know Marcine Pickron-Davis, PhD
PCOM Chief Diversity and Community Relations Officer
March 9, 2021Marcine Pickron-Davis, PhD joined PCOM in 2017 and serves as the College's chief diversity and community relations
officer. Get to know more about Pickron-Davis and her work at PCOM.
What is your role at PCOM?
As the chief diversity and community relations officer at PCOM my primary role is
to advance the College's diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at all three locations. This includes ensuring social justice, health equity, and
cultural competency are at the forefront of our mission. This past summer, I was very
proud to launch the 2025 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategic Plan. This
plan is fully integrated into the overall 2025 plan for the College.
I also lead the President's Council on Equity, Inclusion and Justice. The Council, which convened in July 2020, includes faculty, staff and students representing
the three locations. Under this Council, five unique work groups that include admissions,
human resources, and academic affairs meet monthly with President Feldstein to make recommendations that advance diversity, equity and inclusion in policies
and practices.
Please share a brief background of your professional career, most importantly anything
that directly relates to your role at PCOM.
Prior to PCOM, I served as the chief community engagement and diversity officer at
Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. After serving in that role for 12 years,
I saw the announcement for a chief diversity and community relations officer at PCOM
and it felt like a great next step in my career. I was excited to serve in a graduate,
professional setting.
When I started this role, I noticed very quickly that there was a need to identify
our external community. When I worked at Widener, our community was the immediate
area of Chester, PA. In Philadelphia, Georgia, and South Georgia, I want to maximize
our resources to ensure we are responding to the needs of the community, to the best
of our abilities. Today, I am proud to share that we engage with nonprofit partners
across the three locations that align with our mission to mitigate health inequities.
What are the challenges you face in your role? How do you plan to face those challenges?
My team and I work hard to ensure that diversity is top of mind for PCOM faculty,
staff and other community members. We see our role as shifting campus culture through
education. We regularly host community conversations, interactive lectures, and reflection
sessions to engage the campus in championing diversity, equity, and inclusion. We
want to ensure that our core values become a part of programs where there may currently
be a need. I think about a prospective new faculty member or student and what they
see when they explore the PCOM website. Do they feel like they will belong at PCOM?
I am pleased that DEI is now a central part of our mission because it reveals the
core values of PCOM. Research has proven that diversity pushes teams to work at a
higher level of excellence and we’re working hard to move PCOM from good to great.
What is your favorite thing about PCOM?
As I've mentioned, incorporating DEI into all projects and initiatives can be challenging.
This is something people have to work at to ensure that it is accomplished. One of
my favorite things about PCOM are my colleagues who are committed to doing that work.
These are colleagues who are champions for diversity and ambassadors for my department.
They ensure they are incorporating DEI into the work and priorities of their department.
Though they may not receive public acknowledgment for this work, they are committed
to making PCOM a more inclusive space and we will all see the value of their work
for years to come.
What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
I am the parent of, what I like to call, two “only children”. I have been married
to the same life partner for 35 years and we have two children—a son that is 31 years
old and a daughter that is 18 years old. Often, people can't believe (and we chuckle
about) the age gap between my two children!
About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained
thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral
scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just
symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education,
operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers
graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical
sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling,
physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance
of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its
community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations.
For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Contact Us
Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312 | Cell:
717-371-0609
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