As UCB continues to grow as a global company, the diversity and inclusivity of the culture continues to expand as well by creating new opportunities of connection both within and beyond UCB’s employee community. In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, UCB is proud to offer a new employee resource group (ERG), RAIZ, dedicated to the many Hispanic and Latino UCB colleagues. 

Jessie Roman and Alicia Clark, co-founders of RAIZ, wanted to create a community within UCB that unites Hispanic and Latinx employees and patients with the rest of the UCB community. As the name RAIZ states (raiz meaning “root” in Spanish), it is important that all employees and patients feel represented and connected to heir personal heritage as they grow in their relationship with UCB. The ERG aims to focus on three specific strategies: recruitment of Hispanic and Latinx, career development and progression for Hispanic and Latinx, meeting the unmet needs of the Hispanic and Latinx patient population.

“It is important that with the current events for our employees to feel connected. As UCB evolves, so should our diversity, equality, and inclusion efforts. I have been fortunate to experience life through many cultural lenses and this group will allow others to do so as well,” Alicia said. 

Growing up in Havana, Cuba, Alicia not only understands, but values the need to connect between colleagues, advocate for Hispanic and Latino patients, and educate as many people as possible about the challenges facing the Hispanic and Latino communities. Working in the field as a District Sales Lead, Alicia often experiences many of these challenges daily in addition to her own personal testimonies. 

Jessie, who joined UCB in 2003, shared one common issue that many Spanish-speaking patients face is communication with medical professionals. Jessie knows this challenge first hand as her mother never learned English after immigrating from Puerto Rico. Many of UCB patients face the same linguistic challenge daily and are unable to properly connect due to the language barrier. 

“There is a huge Hispanic-Latinx community that we can touch and we would never want language to be the reason we were not able to change a patient’s life,” Jessie said. 

Looking forward, RAIZ hopes to use this group to connect UCB employees of all nationalities and advocate for Hispanic and Latinx patients by creating opportunities to translate for patients or advocating for Spanish resources. RAIZ is open to colleagues of all ethnicities and backgrounds as UCB encourages the incorporation of diverse ideas and experiences to bring more value to patients’ lives.