Promoting Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We established our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2020, which is composed of residents, faculty and staff. The vision of the DEI Committee is to foster a clinic culture in which patients, staff, faculty and residents are respected through the multiple lenses of status, race, culture, ability, age, gender identity and sexual orientation. We aim to achieve this through active learning, skill development, recruitment and advocacy, and resource sharing that allows us to broaden our understanding of the complexity of how these various identities promote providing and receiving quality healthcare.
Why Belonging and Equity?
At John Muir Health, we're well-positioned to influence the advancement of our community and to strengthen ourselves as a leading health system by improving diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging policies and practices.
Our Vision
Our vision is to cultivate a true culture of belonging where every patient, employee, provider and community member feels safe and valued, inclusive of all aspects of their differences. We are committed to upholding the value of equity by addressing institutional and systemic barriers, to being accountable to change systems and to create an environment built on respect and dignity for all.
Our Guiding Principles
- Center Voices: Uplift experiences and center the voices of people of color, gender minorities, LGBTQ+ individuals and other marginalized patients, staff and clinicians to inform the path forward.
- Create Value: Create opportunity for systemic change that upholds and values belonging and equity.
- Catalyze Systemic Change: Utilize equity strategies that facilitate institutional change.
Our DEI Committee is organized into 3 general areas of concentration through which we aim to integrate a DEI-lens to a variety of aspects of our Residency Program. The 3 areas and some example initiatives are:
Education and Training
- Articles are included in Chiefs’ weekly resident newsletter (called “Did You Know?”) to provide information and expand awareness on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Speakers series to discuss issues specific to impact of microaggressions on relationships in medical practice (patient/provider; resident/faculty; among staff, etc).
- Needs assessment survey with follow-up discussion for our clinic MAs re: issues unique to front line/phone staff.
- Coordination of Faculty Development session(s) focused on DEI and anti-racism topics.
- Regularly scheduled discussions during resident didactics for sharing of experiences and development of skills to recognize impact of “isms” and how to respond.
- Integration of online modules on social determinants of health, bias, structural racism and advocacy into Vulnerable Population Health rotation (PGY1 and PGY3).
- DEI Committee Lead Faculty completing UCSF Diversity Champion training.
Outreach and Recruitment
- Making a concerted effort to increase diversity in our residents and faculty through collaboration with admissions and hiring committees in outreach and recruitment.
- New scholarships for underrepresented minorities participating in clerkships (starting 2021).
Clinical Practice and Community Engagement
- Collaborating with the Health System's Office of Belonging & Equity on Quality Improvement projects focused on health disparities.
- Participation in our Mobile Health Clinic for outreach to underserved areas and vulnerable populations.
- Participation in CLIMB, our neer-peer mentorship program.
We are additionally involved with the UCSF FM Alliance DEIA group which meets monthly to collaborate on ideas and support the work of the various FM residencies in the Bay Area. Our faculty, Dr. Elizabeth Iten, is one of the co-leads of this FM Alliance group.