Diversity and Inclusion

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA)

Mission Statement

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania is steadfast in our dedication to creating a culture of acceptance, equality and openness. Together, we stand against bias and injustice. We strive to incorporate equity into our teaching, research and laboratory practice. We seek to amplify and support underrepresented voices and to create a compassionate environment where people feel safe and inspired to achieve their finest work. We will focus on addressing and eliminating systemic racism, bias, and discrimination in our sector, through intentional actions and impactful programs. We are determined to make the necessary changes that will enrich our department, enhance our clinical and scholarly excellence, and that will empower us to better serve the broader community.

Core Values:
Integrity
Respect
Compassion
Empathy
Collaboration

Committee Members:
Nicole Aqui
Kumarasen Cooper
Luellen Fletcher
Emma Elizabeth Furth
Kester Haye
Ellie Lim
Josh Lubin
Ethan Mack
Jonni Moore
Keenen Smith



 

Web Portal for Feedback

The Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-racism Committee is soliciting feedback on your experiences. Please use our web portal to submit any concerns or suggestions that we can use to improve our community. This is a safe space and all comments are anonymous unless you choose to include your information.
Link to Feedback Portal
 

Upcoming Events:

IDEA Book Club

The next IDEA Book Club will discuss "Scarlet A: The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Ordinary Abortion" by Katie Watson (Associate Professor of Medical Education, Medical Social Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University). As with the previous book club, the Department has graciously agreed to purchase copies for all who want to read the book. Please use this link and simply write book club” in the comment section. The book club will take place in October/November, with dates to be determined. The previous book discussed was  "How to Be an Antiracist" by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi. Email Nicole Aqui at aqui@pennmedicine.upenn.edu if you want to be added to the group.

Selected Reading:

Articles (biomedical literature):

• Sungchul et al. Racial disparities in avoidable hospitalizations in traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. Med Care. 2021
• Gorth D et al. Gender disparity in evaluation of internal medicine clerkship performance. JAMA Network Open 2020. 2021;4(7): e2115661
• Sim W, et al. The perspectives of health professionals and patients on racism in healthcare: A qualitative systematic review. PLoS ONE 2021. 16(8): e0255936.
• Lloyd-Sherlock P et al. Does vaccine ageism amount to gerontocide? Lancet 2021. 398(10304): 952-953.

Articles (lay press):

• Unconscious bias training that works. Harvard Business Review, September 2021
• In Covid vaccine data, LGBTQ people fear invisibility. New York Times, May 2021

Podcasts/TED talks:

·         What’s missing from the American immigrant narrative?, Elizabeth Camarillo Gutierrez, TED February 2020
·         How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time. Baratunde Thurston, TED April 2019

Other materials suggested by Department members:

• Time Magazine: It’s Time for White People to Have Tough Conversations with Their White Friends and Relatives
• Masterclass is letting anyone stream their three-part Class on Black History with 54 lessons for free during Black History Month
• Accepting Responsibility: The History of Health Inequity, Medical Discrimination, and the Changing Face of Medicine by Dr. Dan Chonde
  
   

Previous Seminars & Other Events:

Pride Month and Juneteenth in June 2022: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the first Pride Day in Philadelphia, all are welcome to join in a community march on Sunday, June 5, 2022, that will depart from Independence Mall at 11 AM.

Penn now recognizes Juneteenth as part of the University’s academic calendar and will observe it as a recognized University holiday for the first time this June 20. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, the day when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, received word that President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation more than two and half years earlier, and that they were free.
Read more: IDEA Committee June Events and Highlights (PDF)

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, established by Congress to highlight the stories of people in the United States who are of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. This includes people from the Asian continent and islands across the South Pacific including Hawaii, American Samoa, Federated Islands of Micronesia, Guam, and more.
Read more: IDEA Committee AAPI May Highlights (PDF)

March 2, 2022, 3 PM: Dr. Stephanie Creary, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, "Allyship and Inclusion in the Workplace."

On March 2nd at 3 pm, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania will host a virtual event featuring Dr. Stephanie Creary, who will present her LEAP framework, as published in the Harvard Business Review, proposing how to support Black colleagues in the workplace. Link to event: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/live-event/fghghtqv

Read more: IDEA Committee Newsletter February 2022 (PDF)

Microaggressions and Bystander Training Workshop

• On October 8^th from 12-1:30pm, Dr. Brian Gittens facilitated an interactive virtual workshop where participants will explore their own attitudes toward race and its influence on their respectful roles within the institution. Case review, research, and discussion were used to explore the relationship between racial bias and microaggressions. Participants were provided with tools to identify and mitigate racist behaviors and their impacts.
   
• 9/22/21, 10-11 am: Making Progress in Health Equity: Rethinking Governance and Aligning Systems, hosted by Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
   
• 9/24/21, 1-5 pm: When Healthcare and Law Enforcement Overlap, hosted by Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and the Department of Emergency Medicine
   
• Inaugural Departmental Safe Space
  July 8th at 1:00pm
  Hosted by the IDEA Committee, Safe Spaces are meant to provide an environment where we can have uncomfortable conversations without fear of discrimination or harrassment. They will not be recorded.
   
• Commemorative event in observance of Juneteenth
  Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of "How to be an Antiracist" and "Stamped from the Beginning" in conversation with Dr. Erika James, Dean of The Wharton School
  June 18th at 12:00pm
   
• Transgender Education & Experience with Senator Sarah McBride
  June 21st at 11:30am
   
• Special Lecture for Juneteenth
  Reverend Dr. Alyn E. Waller, Senior Pastor of the Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church
  June 16th at 5:30pm
   
• Discussing the cross-sectionality of the LGBTQ+ and disabled experience
  Hannah Bingham Brunner, MA
  June 15th at 2:00pm
   
• Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) Intensive, sponsored by Penn PROMOTES Research on Sex and Gender in Health:
     -  4/26: SABV & Analyses (Mary Putt, Professor of Biostatistics)
     -  4/19: SABV & Experimental Design (Kurt Barnhart, Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Obstetrics & Gynecology)
     -  4/12: SABV & Research Reporting (Alison Buttenheim, Director of Engagement, LDI)
     -  4/5: SABV & the Health of Women and Men (Maria Oquendo, Chair of Psychiatry)
     
• A Nourishing Prescription: Food as Medicine to Promote Health and Health Equity
  April 23rd, 12-1 pm: Virtual event
  Hosted by Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
   
• The Historical Determinants of and Social Disparities in Healthcare
  April 7th, 12-1:30 pm: Virtual event
  Take part in a discussion around the deep-seated racism that exists in our society, historical events that impact our systems today, and potential solutions. Sponsored by CHEA and in partnership with Little Giant Creative.