On the Pulse: April 2022 Action Update

The Admissions sphere, in collaboration with RBI leadership, have developed a plan for this cycle to continue educating the Admissions Committee on unconscious bias in evaluation. We have incorporated bias training/onboarding, implemented the Bias Tracking Form and review entries to inform committee education, and utilize the Time-In tool during discussions. We are now formalizing the implementation of the “Time-In” tool for others to adopt in their committee structure and will now add on sessions to address the impact of bias and provide concrete tools to help interrupt and educate others about bias. We are currently in the planning stages and will begin delivering new content with the start of the 2023 application cycle.

We have worked with the Faculty Council to define and dissect the process of recruiting new admissions committee members for both the MD and MD/PhD programs. We have learned about the current process and are engaged in the following to broaden the diversity of the committee: we have worked with the Faculty Council to modify the call out to all faculty members encouraging more faculty members across the health system to become interested in this work and including a required commitment to diversity statement. We will plan to survey the committee to identify key demographics to help inform continuous attempts to diversify the committee.

The Clinical sphere is collaborating with social workers, residents, and providers within the Pediatrics Department to improve leadership and participation in the Peds Health Equity Journal Club. There is a journal club planned for May 4 that will feature an outside provider and our sphere is working to market the event and bolster the resources/time for maximum engagement.

Nothing to report at this time.

The Student Affairs sphere has a future meeting planned to learn from the experiences of the “Time-In” tool created by Admissions and DAG. The sphere is currently undergoing a transition of leadership but actively working towards achieving their change targets. Additionally, the Student Affairs sphere is working to increase the capacity of Faculty Advisors to coach students through difficult situations by using appreciative advising strategies. To accomplish this, the sphere is creating case examples to accompany ongoing practices. A year-long calendar is being created by the Student Affairs leadership. The calendar will be used to guide ongoing and future meetings held by advisors.

This past month the Resource Sphere has made progress in planning for the upcoming year and in particular on its change target to increase understanding of unconscious bias.

By the end of March, with few if any exceptions, all Med Ed staff will have participated in an unconscious bias workshop facilitated by a certified ODI-Med Ed trainer. Participation in this workshop should enable staff to apply strategies for practicing conscious awareness and identify and mitigate the effect of biases.

Additionally, the Resources Sphere is in the planning stage for change targets to increase access to anti-racist resources and professional development opportunities. In this work, the sphere will serve as a conduit in connecting staff to resources that cultivate an environment of anti-racism across the Department.

This past month, the Student sphere has worked on a variety of initiatives. We hosted a student group retreat for individual students and student groups to come together as a community of practice to brainstorm ways for collaboration and increased communication pertaining to anti-racist work at ISSMS. Additionally, the student sphere and the new DEIA chair of EHHOP met with EHHOP leadership to brainstorm ideas to create a culture shift within EHHOP that embraces and sustains anti-racist care. We have made headway in planning out the next few months as students begin to transition into the next year and identifying necessary individuals as point people for different projects.

The Medical-School wide sphere has focused on the Unity in Action schedule, identifying silo-busting techniques, and finalizing the Chats for Change schedule. The UiA Schedule and planning document was created with town halls planned for August, May, and December. The schedule has been communicated to the Deans of both schools to begin to set dates for each, after which topic workgroups will be selected, informed, and convened.

Additionally, the Med-School Wide sphere completed a preliminary search for silo-busting techniques. In addition to completing an initial search, the sphere presented the techniques to the GC. An enriching discussion was held to discuss the creation and continued support of silos and if the identified techniques truly were successful in combating silos. From this dialogue, the sphere will continue to research best practices that will be used to create a silo-busting tool.

Lastly, the summer series of the Chats for Change schedule is currently being organized. This season, members are engaging with various stakeholders across the institution to increase partnerships. Participant data was analyzed and used to brainstorm how to increase participation and awareness.