EDI efforts in the Department of Medicine

Lee Daniels from the UW Medicine Office of Healthcare Equity led an engaging talk on the “Story of Self” which encouraged participants to share with others why they engage in EDI initiatives.

“This was an opportunity for us to gather together and build community for the first time in several years,” said EDI Program Manager Sean Greenlee.

Opportunities and Priorities

Identified EDI efforts and themes across the department include both opportunities and priorities:

Opportunities

• Recruitment & Hiring
• Retention
• Division Committees – Governance and Best Practices
• Availability of and Access to Faculty / Staff Demographics Data
• Visibility of Resources and Best Practices
• Divisional/Departmental Climate
• Health Equity Initiatives and Community Outreach
• Communication and Visibility of Divisional Initiatives
• Access to Training and Educational Opportunities
• Identified Resources and Budget – Divisional and Departmental
• Faculty/Staff Engagement in EDI Focuses/Initiatives

Priorities

• Identify ways to reach diverse populations to aid in recruitment efforts, increase opportunities and promote diversity, provide resources for underrepresented in medicine (URiM) recruits, and create hiring best practices 
• Increase URiM retention and intentionality in preparing URiM faculty/staff for future leadership roles
• Establish best practices and nurturing EDI committees at the division level
• Compile and increase access and availability to robust demographics data

Diversity Implementation Workgroup

The Diversity Implementation Workgroup was formed as a result of the Department of Medicine’s Strategic Plan where EDI efforts are at the forefront. One of the key priorities identified in the strategic plan is to Nurture a supportive, collaborative culture where equity, diversity, and inclusion are at the center.

The workgroup formed in February of this year and have focused on four main goals:

1. Structures and policies are in place to increase diversity through hiring, recruitment, retention, and promotion demonstrating that the Department values diversity.
2. Department climate is welcoming of diversity, supports and promotes inclusion, and provides safe learning and work environments that allow faculty, staff, and trainees to tear down individual, interpersonal, and institutional barriers to equity.
3. DOM has operationalized a standard set of required anti-racist training, tools, and guidelines such that UW DOM becomes a more anti-racist and equitable department.
4. Staff, faculty and trainees collectively engage in, and demonstrate a shared responsibility and accountability for the DOM’s EDI efforts.

Four subgroups were created out of this main workgroup to work on policies, resources and best practices, accountability and community engagement.

Collaboration

The workgroup and council will work with divisions and together on departmental EDI efforts, with the council collaborating on, and the workgroup responsible for completion of deliverables.

Next steps

The Diversity Council will refine the mission statement, Divisions and DOM affinity group councils will seek to ensure both faculty and staff EDI are represented on the Diversity Council, the EDI strategic plan workgroup/subgroups will engage Diversity Council members as subject matter experts, and more attempts will be made to include faculty and staff who identify as URiM in future EDI initiatives.