Appointment of César A. Briceño, MD, as Assistant Dean for Diversity and Cultural Affairs

The Undergraduate Medical Education Academic Programs Office is pleased to announce the appointment of César A. Briceño, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology and Advisory Dean, as the new Assistant Dean for Diversity and Cultural Affairs in IDEAL MEd (The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Learner Experience Program in Undergraduate Medical Education).

Dr. Briceño earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his MD from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his ophthalmology residency at the Doheny Eye Institute, LAC/USC Medical Center, followed by a fellowship at Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, W. K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan. He has been with Penn’s Department of Ophthalmology since 2016, where he has been very clinically active, and is currently serving as the Medical Director of the Scheie Eye Institute.

Dr. Briceño has a track-record of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), both on an institutional and national level. As an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, he facilitated the promotion and implementation of initiatives through the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion. At PSOM, he has continued this work by sharing his experiences as a minority physician through interactions with our various cultural affinity groups. He has become a national leader in DEI efforts in ophthalmology, sharing his experiences and expertise with his colleagues nationwide, helping them to better support and engage students from diverse backgrounds. Through the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), he has served on the executive committee of the AAO’s Minority Ophthalmology Mentoring (MOM) Program, where he was responsible for training volunteer mentors. Further, he was a founding member of the AAO LGBTQ+ Group and has sought to enrich AAO’s competencies in trans health, minority stress, micro-aggressions, and implicit bias at podium talks and AAO symposia on LGBTQ+ health.

As a Latino, gay immigrant in a surgical subspecialty, Dr. Briceño is committed to making a meaningful difference in the training of all students, especially students who may feel “different” due to their race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, sexual and gender identity, and/or religion. With his proven commitment to DEI in ophthalmology and in medical education, we are thrilled that Dr. Dr. Briceño will be joining the IDEAL MEd team and eagerly anticipate all that he will do to advance DEI at Perelman.