UPLIFTING OUR CULTURE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

The Department of Medicine Inclusion Council (DOMIC) mission is to advance the diversity and inclusion of faculty and trainees through education, advocacy, scholarly activities, mentorship, and networking.

Accomplishments

Urban Mentorship Program

Our collaboration with the College of Medicine Urban Health Program and Department of Pediatrics pairs first and second year medical students with a faculty and resident mentor. We had 4 students join their faculty and resident mentors 8 times a year in clinic, hospital rounds and/or procedure rooms to expose them to the daily practice of internal medicine (IM) and subspecialties. Drs. Claudia Lora and Sharmilee Nyenhuis led the program along with Dr. Kristen Kenan and Dr. Felicia Scott-Wellington from pediatrics. Students received formal and informal sessions on patient experience, importance of mentorship, career advancement, test taking, and residency application topics.

Women Trainees Interest Group (WTIG)

Dr. Shikha Jain joined Drs. Cheryl Connor and Anne Polick as faculty leads, and launched the Women

Faculty and Trainees Collaborative Education Series, with “It’s Not You, It’s Them: Unmasking the Real Impostor” by Dr. Jain. In conjunction with Women in Medicine Month, women faculty and residents held “Women Just Wanna Network” event at a local park on September 13, 2021 (pictured above).

Medical Student Conferences Recruitment

The recruitment season continued virtually with “2020 Vision: Be the Change You Needed to See”, the Region II Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Regional Medical Education Conference (RMEC) hosted by The University of Kansas Medical Center, on November 7th, 2020, attended by Dr. Rachael King. In March 2021, “Potenciar El Cambio: Creating Interconnection in Healthcare to Create Change” was the theme for the Latino Medical Student Association’s (LMSA) national conference attended by Dr. Olga Garcia-Bedoya and Dr. Claudia Lora. In April 2021, our involvement at the national SNMA Annual Medical Education Conference (AMEC) “Redefining Obstacles as Opportunities to Transcend Rooted in Excellence” resumed, attended by Drs. Alana Biggers, Rachael King, Keith Naylor, Fred Zar and several residents.

We ended 2021 returning to in-person conferences. “Medicine in a Recovering World: Bringing Us Back Together”, the Region II SNMA RMEC on November 6th followed by “Health Leaders of Tomorrow: Continuando la Lucha por la Equidad”, LMSA’s Midwest Regional Conference on February 12, 2022, both held locally at Northwestern University. LMSA’s “Cincuenta Años de Comunidad: Fostering Service, Health Equity, and Leadership” in March in Philadelphia, PA attended by resident Dr. Carlos Dohse followed by SNMA AMEC

“THE EMERGENCE – Achieving Purpose in an Era of Health Advocacy, Equity & Reform” in April in Orlando, FL attended by Drs. Ashley Binder, Rachael King and residents Drs. Isaye Barton and Meredith

Yellen. Establishing a new collaboration with the Graduate Medical Education program, we had a larger presence at both conferences. With these endeavors and ongoing holistic evaluation of ERAS applications, we continue to increase the diversity of our residency program.

DOMIC Culturally Sensitive Care and Inclusion Series

DOMIC planned the Culturally Sensitive Care and Inclusion Series following the successful launch of the Diversity and Inclusion COVID Health Disparities sessions in response to the coronavirus pandemic. These presentations continue to elevate DOMIC’s presence and provide opportunities for co-sponsoring with other programs, departments, and colleges within UIC and receive invites to present at outside institutions. DOMIC continues its work in developing ways to receive feedback and implement solutions. Videos of our lectures are available at https://go.uic. edu/DOMDiversity.

Our initial series included three sessions:

The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Women and Work Life Blend: Challenges and Call For Solutions, by Drs. Ashley Darlington, Sai Sunkara, and Sarah Messmer on September 30, 2020, followed by the Lactation Policy was updated to provide for more designated lactation spaces and support.

The Racial Caste System and It’s Impact on Patient Outcomes, with Henrika McCoy, MSW, MJ, PhD, LCSW and Joseph Day, DrPH, MA on October 1st and A conversation on COVID-19 in Chicago’s Latinx Community, by Dr. Allison Arwady, Dr. Max Brito, and Miguel Blancarte, Jr. on October 29th.

The need to provide ongoing education, dialogue and action around topics of diversity, health disparities, racism, women, LGBTQIA+, and more, expanded to become our core educational series to reach a broader audience in 2021.

Richard J. Weber Supported Lectures were Keep them from harm and injustice: Strategies for providing LGBTQ+ -inclusive healthcare, by Zena Sharman on February 9th, Racism in Medicine: Why and How I Confront It, by Dr. Vanessa Grubbs on September 17th, co-sponsored with UIC Women's Leadership and Resource Center, UIC College of Medicine, and Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology, and R0 and the culture club in diversifying the biomedical sciences, by Avery August, PhD on September 28th.

Other educational series lectures were Introduction to LGBTQI+ Health: An Inclusive Approach to Clinical Care, by Dr. Andrew Trotter on March 11th, Beyond the Binary: Providing Gender Affirming Care by Dr. Sarah Messmer on March 26th, Women’s History Month Lecture Co-sponsored with College of Pharmacy, Gender Equity in Academic Medicine during COVID-19: Challenges and Solutions, by Dr. Min Joo on March 30th, It’s Not You, It’s Them: Unmasking the Real Impostor by Dr. Shikha Jain on April 22nd, Tales from the Survive Study: Victimization and Adversity in Young Black Males, by Drs. McCoy and Day, on June 30th, and Providing LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Care: A Case Based Discussion, by Drs. Messmer and Trotter on August 26th, and Faith, Health Inequities, and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the Latinx Community, by Dr. Max Brito, Fr. Manuel Dorantes, STL, MBA, and Miguel Diaz, PhD on October 6th.

A Microaggressions Committee was established by Drs. Trotter, Biggers, and Joo, and chief residents, Drs. Isaye Barton and Jina Kwak to develop programming, educating and awareness of microaggressions in the workplace and with patients. A survey was developed and distributed to collect data on microaggression encounters with faculty, staff, and house staff.

BRIM – Bias Reduction in Internal Medicine lead by Dr. Waddah Alrefai hosted workshops for the DOM and other departments. Growth and development of BRIM expanded to include workshops for the entire College of Medicine.

Education and Support – DOMIC published statements of support and educational profiles throughout the year. Biographies of notable current and past Black doctors were distributed for Black History Month, including highlighting DOMIC member, Paula Allen-Meares, PhD. Additionally, DOMIC published a statement on anti-Asian attacks following a rise in hate crimes, a congratulatory announcement on the confirmation of Rachel Levine, the first transgender woman, as assistant secretary for health in the Department of Health and Human Services, an acknowledgement and reflection of Juneteenth, and a recognition of Pride Month and the anniversary and significance of Stonewall.