The Office for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (ODMA) is delighted to welcome Jennifer (Jenna) Blythe-Tija, who will be spearheading medical student recruitment programs with the intention of building a more robust and sustainable pipeline to medical school. 

ODMA seeks to develop and maintain an engaging multicultural learning community that promotes the importance of diversity, social responsibility, ethical leadership, and education through health care, medical teaching, and research. Jenna’s core intent is to enhance outreach, education, and resourceful services for underrepresented student populations so they can best become tomorrow's healthcare leaders. Jenna, along with UAB School of Medicine and other health career professional schools participate in a variety of recruitment visits, presentations, and on-campus tours for students considering medical school.

Jenna Blythe-Tjia joined the School of Medicine ODMA after serving three years in Staffing for UAB Human Resources.  For the past eleven (11) years, Jenna’s work has been in Human Resources and Talent Acquisition, however she has always had a genuine interest working with students, student advocacy, and serving diverse and underrepresented populations.  Jenna believes these passions stem from having grown up in what nationally is ranked as the poorest town in her home state of Washington, where she grew up on a Native American Indian Reservation, raised by a Caucasian family, and where agriculture and Hispanic and Latino populations still flourish today.  She loved being immersed in bilingual classrooms and carries the fond memories of having grown up in such a diverse and extremely rural community.  Although she’s a Washington State native, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education, she has lived and worked for The University of Florida in Gainesville and The City of Fort Worth in Texas, prior to moving to Birmingham, AL.  Jenna currently resides in Highland Park with her husband and two dogs.