Past Events

Feb 11, 2021: COVID-19 Vaccines – Road to Equity. Follow up Medicine and Society Dialogues discussion about COVID-19 vaccines. This widely attended lecture by individuals from departments outside IM, the School of Public Health. and the Office of Diversity centered around emerging inequities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake. We brainstormed various strategies to address the issue including intentional community engagement; targeted messaging; diverse, context-specific approaches that consider structural barriers; transparency in communication; and the need for medical institutions and providers to enhance their trustworthiness.

Feb 4, 2021: Grand Rounds lecture by guests from Harvard Medical School entitled: Dismantling Racism in Medical Education: Diversity is not Enough. Provided literature review highlighting evidence of structural racism in medical education and strategies to combat racism while promoting equity and inclusion in the learning environment.

Nov 17, 2020: Medicine and Society Dialogues discussion about challenges and health disparities faced by gender minorities as well as strategies for providing gender affirming care and creating more inclusive spaces for learners. Liszewski W et al. Persons of Nonbinary Gender – Awareness, Visibility, and Health Disparities. N Engl J Med. 2018; 379:2391-2393. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1812005

Sept 30, 2020: In light of new trials for COVID-19 vaccine, DEI council hosted a Medicine and Society Dialogues discussion to address larger issue of limited minority participation in research trials, including historical context, challenges, and potential solutions (broadly and specific to our institution). Jaklevic MC. Researchers Strive to Recruit Hard-Hit Minorities Into COVID-19 Vaccine Trials. JAMA. 2020;324(9):826-828. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.11244

July 30, 2020: Inaugural Medicine and Society Dialogues meeting bringing together faculty, staff, and trainees to discuss various ways systemic racism manifests in healthcare and strategies for minimizing its impact. Discussion was guided by an NEJM perspective piece (Evans MK, Rosenbaum L, Malina D, Morrissey S, Rubin EJ. Diagnosing and Treating Systemic Racism. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(3):274-276. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe2021693).

June 4, 2020: Hosted town hall to facilitate dialogue among IM residents and faculty in acknowledging root cause of nationwide protests against police brutality and racial inequalities. Outcome was a commitment by residency program leadership to create relevant curriculum for trainees addressing racial justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine.

Feb 14, 2020: Diversity panel of residents, fellows and faculty convened to showcase real life examples of how diversity, broadly defined, in the healthcare environment improves patient care.

Jan 9, 2020: IM Department co-sponsored with the Pediatrics Department and Office of Diversity and Inclusion a second-look diversity dinner for residency applicants.

Oct 24, 2019: The DEI council kicked off the first social/networking event, which brought together numerous staff, students, residents, fellows and faculty across the Department.