“Vibhuti guided me in researching and creating an actionable plan to include diversity within university curriculum and was an absolute joy to work with. Her gentle corrections and fantastic suggestions were essential in refining my plan and executing it to its full potential. If you ever get the chance to work with Vibhuti take it, she will answer questions that you didn’t know you had and your work will be better because of it.“
Breanna Laffin, Research assistant, Dalhousie University
“Dr. Arya’s training sessions were so informative and helpful in learning how to conduct research of equity, diversity, and inclusion in pharmacy practice. Her knowledge and insight are invaluable. She has taught me more in 5 minutes about my own biases than any other lesson ever has. I am so thankful to have been educated by her and I will always be grateful for the truly positive impact she has had on me and my future professional and personal growth.”
Kathleen Bergin, 3rd year student, Dalhousie University College of Pharmacy
“I had the opportunity to attend a training on diversity, equity, and inclusion taught by Dr. Arya delivered to our professional organization’s Board of Trustees. The program’s design included very thought-provoking pre-work that led to very informative discussion during the live session. It allowed our Trustees to be vulnerable in a way unlike anything we have ever done as a group, which produced a deeper connection and understanding of one another. Dr. Arya led by example and she combined evidence-based instruction with heartfelt emotion. It was a teaching style that really resonated with me and made me feel more engaged as a learner.”
Joey Mattingly, PharmD, MBA, PhD
“Your session was timely and filled an important gap in medical education. Discussions on race, racism, and bias are often difficult to have in diverse learning spaces. Your creative use of personal narratives and metaphors helped to create a safe environment where students could explore their own biases and have open and honest discussions on these topics. Your session was informative providing a historical context for current problems. These students were about to enter their clinical rotations in medical school and your session helped to prepare them to be advocates and to speak up for injustice. You also sparked an interest in them for pursuing public health research. Your talk was a perfect blend of public health, medicine, history, and narrative medicine. I hope to continue this elective in subsequent years and would be honored to have you participate.”
Carla Boutin-Foster, MD, MS
Associate Dean, Office of Diversity Education and Research, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
“Your session was beneficial to me also as faculty development and especially innovative by developing necessary safe spaces to dialogue across training levels on these topics.”
Christopher A. J. Roman, PhD
Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Cell Biology
Associate Professor of Medicine, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine
“I don’t think there is a person alive who has crossed paths with Dr. Arya and hasn’t been inspired by her passion and tenacity. Dr. Arya challenges her students and colleagues alike to think differently, to think compassionately, and to never back down for what we believe in. Where others in the pharmacy profession are hesitant to tread, Dr. Arya acts as a trailblazer and supports her students to disrupt. She encourages students to go against the grain, to forge their own path; This fearlessness is an indispensable quality for a mentor to impart on their mentees. If more people in the pharmacy profession brought her enthusiasm, critical thinking, and perseverance to the healthcare system, the world would be in a better place.“
Alex Cheung, PharmD
“Vibhuti has taught me one of the most invaluable lessons in leadership: the importance of having “brave space” conversations (to steal her term). She models difficult but necessary interactions regarding equity, diversity and inclusion, especially in healthcare settings. She challenges how pharmacy can and will do more to help shape healthcare. She does so in a way that engages dialogue, encourages thinking differently, but most importantly doesn’t walk away when the conversation gets difficult. She strikes a balance between her great fount of knowledge, inspiring personality, and willingness to change her mind. I am grateful to call Vibhuti a mentor, a colleague, and most importantly a friend.“
Alison Knutson, PharmD
“I had the good fortune of listening to you address all of Neurocrine yesterday. Your passion is moving, and your work is inspiring. Thank you for both, and for giving us such a gift through your sharing!“
Brian Clark, National Account Executive, Neurocrine Biosciences
“I recently had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Arya during a CE session she co-presented entitled, “An Open Dialogue: Racial Justice and the Pharmacist’s Role”. My expectations were exceeded via the content and the extremely useful dialogue. A goal of mine is to become more skilled at identifying and dismantling structural racism that might exist in and around my own practice. Dr. Arya’s program not only provided me a framework for thinking about this process, but also helped me realize the importance of self-reflection and learned perspective on such a dense subject. In other words, she created space for me to start the process of confronting my own biases. Thank you for your expertise and for such a meaningful experience!“
Nicholas Capote, PharmD, MS, BCSCP
“Just recently Vibhuti facilitated an evening program to allow an open dialogue on racial justice and the role of the pharmacist. Her ability to convey the key elements to the issue and then to create an atmosphere (even virtually) for the audience to openly discuss the issues was none that I’ve seen before. Her personal and professional insight allowed me and other participants to know that we had an expert in our presence that has the passion and knowledge to discuss a difficult topic – one that is hard for anyone to talk about. I would highly recommend inviting Vibhuti to speak with your organization on any topic, especially a difficult one like racial justice in today’s society. Thanks for all you do for our profession and the patients you serve, Vibhuti!“
Anthony Pudlo
“In a span of merely 4 weeks as her APPE student, Dr. Arya fundamentally altered my career path for the better. After learning about social determinants of health, health and racial inequity, and the importance of intent versus impact, Dr. Arya inspired me to aim for change and growth in the pharmacy profession. Using her “Dark-Room Methodology” teaching technique, she not only unearthed my own misconceptions about healthcare but also showed me that the pharmacy profession has an opportunity to create real-world impact in health and racial inequity. Because of Dr. Arya I was driven to pursue these frontiers further. After graduating with my PharmD in May 2020, I started a PhD program in Pharmacy Administration in August 2020. I will always be incredibly grateful for the impact Dr. Arya had on me.“
Saara Nasruddin, PharmD
“Dr. Arya expertly guided our students through complicated and sensitive material with grace and intelligence. She has a generous and approachable teaching style that invites self-inquiry in a time when we need to ask the tough questions.“
Dana Slamp, Program Director, Prema Yoga Institute
“Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and insight today at our College of Pharmacy seminar. You are an asset to many in our profession, including me. I truly look forward to the next time our paths cross.”
James W. McAuley, PhD, FAPhA, Professor of Pharmacy and Education & Innovation and Neurology, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
“I missed your talk initially at the MPhA Annual Meeting on October 1st. I just had the opportunity to watch it and I wanted to thank you for it! The conversation is so important and the manner in which you approach it is incredible. You somehow manage to make it engaging, open, uncomfortable, and empowering all at the same time! I was attending the University of Minnesota, Duluth campus while you were in Minnesota and it was evident then that you were going to remarkable things. Thanks again for your time and talent!”
Submission from Shari Gentilini, PharmD
“Vibhuti delivered a training for our Association on Structural Racism. Our goal as an Association is to educate our staff on diversity and inclusion. Vibhuti’s training delivery is professional, informative, and engaging. She has such an engaging personality that it makes the audience feel comfortable to listen and ask questions. She has the ability to share information at a level that all positions can understand. The training had a great flow of eye opening information that was supported with visuals. Her training emphasized the importance of creating an open space for dialogue, allowing mistakes, and that we need to be brave, looking within ourselves for understanding, before we can change the environment or opinions of others. The most impactful topic, for me, was on implicit bias. This can translate directly into the workplace. Another great take away I had is that one’s truth is not the only truth that exists. We have had several trainings at our Association, this one is by far the best we have had. Vibhuti creates an informative but respectful atmosphere about a topic that can send individuals on an emotional rollercoaster. I would recommend Vibhuti to any organization looking to educate their staff on Diversity.“
Farrah Chapman, PHR, Human Resources Manager, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy
“I am an employee at Neurocrine and I just wanted to personally thank you for the talk today. I took many thoughts away from the discussion, for myself, my family and my community. So many words become a “buzz”, your insight gave them meaning for me.“
Stephanie, Employee at Neurocrine
“I just wanted to say thank you for your presentation today. You are one of the best speakers I’ve ever heard and I thought that was just a fantastic presentation and discussion afterwards. I find that it’s such a difficult topic for me to discuss particularly in the workplace, but I feel your presentation will have an impact of helping us move towards feeling more comfortable here at Duquesne to talk with each other and make ourselves and our school of pharmacy better.“
Kurt W. Wolfgang, PharmD, BCCCP, Clinical Specialist, Critical Care Medicine Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Duquesne University
“Professor Arya’s presentation on structural racism conveyed a very balanced yet passionate engagement that was realistic and hopeful. I came away with a renewed sense of personal agency to change the narrative on this issue among members of my communities, and that opportunities to listen, when accepted, can create “brave spaces”. I highly recommend her approach. It is multi-faceted and seeks to build communities of understanding rather than of accusation.“
Dr. Gerald Boodoo, Ph.D., Rev. Francis Philben, C.S.Sp., Endowed Chair & Director Duquesne University
“I absolutely loved hearing this presentation! I believe this conversation should be something everyone needs to hear in order to really start change. It really opened my eyes when you talked about how the less you have to lose, the more you should be doing the work. I will definitely carry this with me and share what I’ve learned with others so we can all grow together”
Third-year Pharmacy Student at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
“Absolutely amazing talk. This was so inspirational. Dr. Arya was so relatable and made me want to learn more about my biases and how I can be an ally and advocate for minorities or underrepresented populations. I could listen to Dr. Arya talk for hours!“
Attendee of 4th Annual PLS Leadership Symposium at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
“Dr. Arya facilitated an event open to all professional schools at the University of Minnesota. Her open dialogue on racial justice was highly appreciated by the students in attendance. Her ability to create a welcoming and honest environment, even in the virtual space of zoom, made the event engaging and emotional in a way that empowered students to take action and continue these necessary conversations. We cannot speak highly enough of how she was able to maintain a professional atmosphere while also being personable and compassionate. Her effect on the students in attendance will create better healthcare professionals who are able to recognize and address health disparities.”
Julie Gray and Kendra Buettner, Leaders of Phi Lambda Sigma – Alpha Phi Chapter at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy