On the Pulse: May Action Updates

The Admissions sphere has been engaged in analyzing data to inform our work moving forward. With upcoming committee training sessions, we will continue to build upon conversations with veteran members and onboard new members to our culture of self-reflection, learning and holistic review. We continue to gather information about the many different pathway programs in our institution, both known and newly discovered, so we are able to come together and learn together how we can best serve our scholars, students and prospective applicants. Learn more.

The clinical sphere has continued to work within the pediatrics department to facilitate the Chats for Change series and normalize open dialogue about racism and bias. We have completed the first part of the two part series and have the second scheduled for June with additional sessions pending. The second session is in collaboration with the Compliance Office to discuss reporting and options. Based on feedback, we are considering holding a third part to the peds chats for change dedicated to alternative actions/solutions to reporting racism/bias. We are gathering data through surveys and outreach around case examples. We are also starting to explore additional departments that are interested in working with our sphere (ex. Neurology). Learn more.

The Student Affairs Sphere conducted a month-long faculty development on appreciative advising. The group explored their own identities and how they impact the advising relationship. The group engaged in breakout work exploring each of the phases of appreciative advising: disarm, discover, dream, design, delivery, don’t settle. For each phase, the groups discussed features, good better, and best practices, reviewed an illustrative case, and described best practice advising questions, how to facilitate student growth, what ways this could be implemented via email, what tools or supports would be needed to achieve the “best” features of this phase, and what considerations might be different for a URM student. The groups debriefed and created an approach to best practices to inform a new model of equitable advising. A writing group is drafting a manuscript on the best practices of appreciate advising for building an anti-racist model in Student Affairs. Learn more.

The Student Resources Sphere has held two of three equity lens workshops with participants from the medical and graduate schools. Participants will integrate techniques and strategies derived from these workshops in order to critically analyze their functional areas for equity barriers and opportunities. After the third workshop, we will cultivate a community of practice in which they think through impactful and practical solutions that lead to lasting, equity-centered change. Learn more.

The Student Sphere is awaiting results from the student comprehensive survey to analyze and disseminate the results. We have met to discuss best strategies and practices to disseminate the results, including disseminating quantitative data, planning to clarify the results through qualitative interviewing, and identifying next steps with key stakeholders. We have also begun discussions around orientation programming for the incoming MS1 class to provide a foundation of ways to engage in anti-racist work in their medical education. Learn more.

Our mission statement campaign has entered the next stage. The data collected from the Padlet has been shared with an external expert. Once analyzed, the data will be shared in a community-wide forum to allow for reflection prior to the creation of a revised statement. 

The culture survey planning is underway and on schedule! The planning group has identified the core questions that will be included in the staff, student, faculty and postdoc surveys that will be administered in the medical school and the graduate school. Workgroups are starting to review the proposed core questions to provide feedback and identify additional questions of interest. Learn more.