DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

OUR  COMMITMENT  TO  DIVERSITY,  EQUITY,  AND  INCLUSION

The Department of Medicine stresses that diversity drives innovation and promotes health equity. With the help of the Department of Medicine Inclusion Council, our mission is to advance the diversity and inclusion of faculty and trainees through education, advocacy, scholarly activities, mentorship, and networking. We are constantly striving to achieve this mission, and our successes to date are due to several Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, including our Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRiM) Workshop, Department of Medicine Inclusion Council, Anti–Racism Urgent Action Committee, Anti-Racism in Medicine (ARIM) Lecture Series, Diversity Seminar Series, Internal Medicine Summer Immersion Program, Church-based health outreach program (CHOP), and Urban Health Mentorship Program.

Cultural, racial, and ethnic diversity abound across our campus.  The University of Illinois College of Medicine is one of the most diverse medical school in the country ranking number 1 in Latinx graduates and number 5 in African American graduates.  The Internal Medicine Residency has twice the national average of underrepresented minorities training in it. We serve a large, diverse patient population who come from all over the  United States and the world, providing us with a variety of medical illnesses and a culturally rich education.

Under-Represented in Medicine Virtual Open House
The Department of Medicine Inclusion Council (DOMIC) hosted its first “Under-Represented in Medicine Virtual Open House” on October 13, where faculty spoke about our program’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and answered questions from prospective resident applicants. Co-Chaired by Drs. Alana Biggers and Min Joo, DOMIC is represented by a diverse group of physicians and staff.

The Department of Medicine Inclusion Council will host another Under-Represented in Medicine Virtual Open House on January 20, 2023 for scheduled applicants.

Healthcare Disparities and Anti-Racism in Medicine Lecture (ARIM) Series
Access to recording of various presentations

10/10/22: The Free Clinic Movement and the Struggle for Health Justice in 1970s Chicago
10/6/22: Leadership, Mentorship, and Promotion of Latino Healthcare Professionals
10/4/22: Gender Affirming Care
6/7/22: Health Equity in Cancer Care: Lessons from the Pandemic and Beyond  
6/7/22: Gender Affirming Voice Training (GAVT): Overview of Service Delivery and Inclusive Care
5/26/22: A New Yellow Peril? Exploring the Histories and Legacies of Anti-Asian Racism in the US
3/8/22: The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Women to Medicine and Medicine to Women
2/21/22: A Brief History of Race and Racism in Chicago
2/3/22: For National Women Physicians Day: Public Health Leadership in the COVID-19 ERA
1/20/22: Research in Practice: Advancing Health Equity for Racial/Ethnic Minorities by Addressing Racism
12/10/21: Beyond Tuskegee: Understanding the Role of Racism in Shaping of History of Medical Research
11/18/21: Mass Incarceration:  Its Causes and Consequences
10/27/21: Moving Beyond Bias and Microaggressions
10/6/21: Faith, health inequities, and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Latinx community
9/28/21: R0 and the culture club in diversifying the biomedical sciences
9/17/21: Racism in Medicine: Why and How I Confront It
8/26/21: Providing LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Care: A Case-Based Discussion

Addressing Microagressions in Medicine (AMiM) and Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRiM) Training.
In September 2022, the UIC Department of Medicine received a $20,000 grant from the American College of Physicians to improve the quality of its education and training program and build a more trustworthy health care system. Led by Alana Biggers, MD, MPH, FACP and a team of dedicated Department of Medicine faculty and staff, the grant will enable the DOM to address microaggressions in the workplace with the aim to enhance workplace satisfaction and minimize burnout that can affect patient care. Over two years, the team will enhance a current microaggressions reporting system and use the reported incidents to develop ongoing interactive workshops on how to address microaggressions in the workplace.

In 2018, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed the Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRiM) workshop with the goal of making participants aware of their implicit biases, learn to name them, and them to tame them to greatly reduce microaggressions in the workplace. The UIC DOM was honored to be the first program in the country to participate in this important initiative. Led by Drs. Waddah Alrefai and Min Joo all residents and faculty partake in the Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine (BRiM) workshop.

Anti–Racism Urgent Action Committee
In 2020, the University of Illinois College of Medicine established the Anti-Racism Urgent Action Committee in order to mitigate the impacts of racism and/or reducing systemic inequities facing people of color. The committee created a timeline to implement the following short and long-term goals:

  • Anti-bias/Racism Mitigation & Training
  • Career Development Funding & Support (Faculty & Staff)
  • Career Development for Students
  • Communications & Partnerships
  • Community Building & Culture Change
  • Curriculum Reform
  • Educational Support
  • Funding Diversity-Specific FTE & Recognition for Involvement
  • Mental Health & Support
  • Metrics & Data Collection
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Recruitment & Retention Process Improvement & Funding Support
  • Research & Scholarly Opportunity Support
  • Safe Space
  • Survey & Monitor for Continuous Improvement

LGBTQ+ Inclusive Healthcare
UI Health provides exceptional care to (LGBTQIA+) patients and families through our commitment to treating all patients with dignity, respect, and compassion. We take great pride in and accept the responsibility that comes with that commitment. When patients visit LGBTQ.UIHealth.Care,

they’ll find listings of all of our inclusive care specialists, services, and dedicated patient navigation. As healthcare equality leaders, we are committed to removing barriers to care for (LGBTQIA+) patients and providing the accessible, affirming healthcare services they need and deserve. The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Care page helps to further our mission to provide respectful, compassionate, personalized care for every patient.

The Department of Medicine Inclusion Council recognizes the contributions of LGBTQIA+ members of the UIC and UI Health communities.  Diversity, inclusion, belonging and anti-racist efforts are topics that impact health. We reinforce our commitment to greater inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals both at UIC as well as in healthcare spaces. The Council encourages you to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community as it relates to healthcare and how you can contribute to making more inclusive spaces.  Please view the LGBTQIA+ offerings in our Culturally Sensitive Care series. We also invite you to celebrate the richness of the LGBTQIA+ community through cultural events, celebrations, books, movies, and other educational experiences.

UIC Gender and Sexuality Center: https://gsc.uic.edu/

UIC Safe Zone: UIC is proud to participate in the Safe Zone program. Safe Zone is a training designed to heighten awareness of LGBTQ issues and concerns. Safe Zone is offered regularly and is designed to put a human face on human issues. Contact [email protected] for future trainings.

Graduate Medical Education Diversity and Inclusion
https://hospital.uillinois.edu/about-ui-health/education/graduate-medical-education-gme/diversity-and-inclusion

UI Hospital and UIC Diversity and Inclusion Leadership

Monica Vela, MD, Director of the Hispanic Center of Excellence

Rani Morrison, FACHE, MS, MSW,Chief Diversity & Community Health Equity Officer & Chair, Committee for Anti-Racism & Equity, University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics

Gloria Elam, MD, MPH, Associate Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Office Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Constance Umbles-Sailers, MS, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Keia Hobbs, MD, FAAFP, Assistant Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Chair, GME Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council

Contact Us [email protected]

INSTRUCTIONS: In order to add a sidebar anchor:

  1. Duplicate the existing item, listed as a 1/6 text field. (Or create a 1/6 column and add a text field, modify the class so it’s exactly “additionalAnchor”).
  2. Modify the text field inside the 1/6 column. Inside there, modify the HYPERLINK so that it would go to a corresponding section with a “#” in front of it. (Example, we have a “chief” section on the page, then it would make sense to have the hyperlink go to “#chief”)
  3. Then change the hyperlink TEXT to a appropriate label.
  4. IMPORTANT: If not done already, go into that CONTAINER that corresponds to your anchor (i.e. Meet The Chiefs), and add an ID matching the anchor’s HYPERLINK WITHOUT the “#”, i.e. “chief”.
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NOTE: Order added to the sidebar is from last to first.