DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

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 Samirah Lawson
Ellie Lim Josh Lubin Ethan Mack
Jonni Moore Keenan 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:

Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15 to October 15

Mexican Independence Day Festival at Penn’s Landing
Sunday, September 18, 2022 | 2-8 p.m.
City officials will join the Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia in the traditional Grito de Independencia ceremony, commemorating the beginning of the Mexican Independence movement, September 16, 1810, leading to the creation of the nation of Mexico. Bands headlining this year’s festival: La Prendida and El Retoño. Eateries: Pachecorico Restaurante, Taquería Atexquita, La Ingrata, La Guadalupana, Taquería Atexcac, Los Gallos, Taquitos de Puebla, Nemi. The festivities end with fireworks and dancing.


Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Sunday, September 25, 2022 | Noon-3 p.m.
Thousands of spectators will line the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for this annual parade and celebration of Latino culture. More than 1,500 marchers make their way down the parkway each year, performing traditional Latino music, poetry and dance. The theme for the year’s event is "The Puerto Rican Dreamers."

La Casa Latina & Greenfield Intercultural Center present The 11th Annual Dolores Huerta Keynote Lecture with Efrén C. Olivares
Thursday, September 29, 2022 - 6:00pm
ARCH Building, 3601 Locust Walk
The Dolores Huerta Lecture is a signature event during Latinx Heritage Month to spotlight a prominent person in the Latinx community and allow the Penn community to learn from and be in conversation with their work and ideas. This year's lecture will be delivered by Efrén C. Olivares C'05, the Deputy Legal Director of the Immigrant Justice Project at Southern Poverty Law Center. He was the lead lawyer in a successful landmark petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of families separated under the Zero Tolerance policy. He previously directed the Racial and Economic Justice Program at the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Penn Latin American & the Caribbean (PLAC) 6th Annual Conference
Shared Narratives: Arts, Culture and Conflict in Latin American and the Caribbean
Friday, September 23, 20022
Perry World House
Please RSVP by September 20th

Links of interest:
https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/
https://www.oprahdaily.com/hispanic-heritage-month/
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2022-09-09/hispanic-heritage-month-reading-list-espinoza
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/latinos-face-disproportionate-health-economic-impacts-covid-19/

 


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):

Articles (lay press):

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:

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 8th 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.