Subway Summit Webinar Series

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SUBWAY SUMMIT WEBINAR SERIES COVID-19 LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE EPICENTER

J U N E 8 - 12

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SUBWAY SERIES PURPOSE This webinar series is being hosted by New York and New Jer sey medical schools to provide lessons learned du r ing t h e surg e a n d p o st- su rge re c ove r y st r ate gie s and contingency planning through the lens of diversity, equit y and inclusion (DEI), communication strategy and infection prevention.

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ORIGIN STORY The medical schools in our region have been at the epicenter of the worst pandemic this countr y has ever seen. We have learned many hard-won lessons, among them the importance of finding ways to make the best of a bad situation, and transforming the disruption caused by COID-19 into disruptive innovation.

We h o p e t h i s S u m m i t i s a n i m p o r t a nt c o nt r i b u t i o n i n t h at v e i n , a n d t h at o u r a b i l i t y t o s h a r e h o w w e’ v e r e s p o n d e d a n d w h at w e’ v e l e a r n e d h e l p s o u r colleagues across the countr y, all of whom are already confronting COVID-19 related challenges, some of which are universal, and others that are unique to each institution.

This webinar series is supported by the Association of American Medical Colleges, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and the Associated Medical Schools of New York .

SUBWAY SERIES THREAD/LENSES D/E/I As we have seen reflected in the clinical impact of the COVID pandemic, where people and communities of color have had higher morbidity and mortality, fewer resources, less access to care, and less hope for recover y, students of color and students from disadvantaged backgrounds have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Coming from the hardest-hit communities, they have lost family members, family wage earners have lost their jobs, and students have been called upon to support their families in a variety of capacities in this time of dire need. These students often enter medical school without the same depth of resources as their peers who come from more privileged backgrounds.

This includes family financial resources, race-concordant advisors, mentors and role models, and a social network that can provide much-needed social capital in a pinch. This means that any stressor has a higher likelihood of an adver se outcome in these students. COVID-19 and its impact on educational programming, USMLE exams, grading schema , and the residency application process is disproportionately impacting these students.

These are the reasons that Equit y, Inclusion, and Diversity must be top of mind as we navigate these treacherous waters. If we do not work harder than ever to safeguard these principles, we will risk sliding back a generation and losing what little progress we have been able to make in recruiting, retaining, and promoting students of color.

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COMMUNICATION STRATEGY In the best of times running a medical education program requires clear and consistent communication with multiple stakeholders (staff, facult y, students, hospital leadership, site faculty, national organizations, accrediting bodies, etc.), all of whom need to be actively engaged in the decisions, processes, and policies of the program. Some stakeholders require communication in order to stay informed, some need it so that they can cont r ib ut e t h e i r ex p ert i se to a disc u ss ion , an d som e n e e d it so that they can contribute to d e c i si o n s th at n e e d to be m ade . Wh e n a c r isi s hi t s, deve l opin g an enhanced communication strategy becomes an imperative of program leadership and integral to stakeholder engagement. There is going to be more information, of greater complexity, with constantly shift ing circ umst a n c e s , a n d t he st ake h olde r s on th e re c e ivin g e n d will predictably be under a great deal of administrative, clinical, and educational pressure, making it harder for them to attend to, and process, communications. The COVID -19 crisis created a unique, ever-changing env ironm e nt of re mot e l e a rn in g an d stu de nt se r vic e de live r y in an environment that t ypically relies on high-touch interaction. As the crisis r a p id l y evo l ve d , us ua l meth ods of c om m u n ic ation s h ad to be qu ick l y revisited to ensure in-the-moment decisions were being relayed accurately and consistently with the ultimate goal of ensuring the qualit y and safet y of the stakeholder experience.

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INFECTION PREVENTION In the setting of the worst public health emergency in t h e h i st o r y of th e U n ite d St ate s , an d th e pr imacy of protecting student health and well-being, an emphasis on Infection Prevention (IP) was necessar y to inform all of our decisions, including the following: suspending all domestic and international travel; pulling students from clerkships; converting to remote pre-clinical teaching; convert to telemedicine for Student Health and Mental Health; providing self-isolation protocols for students living in congregate housing; conducting virtual admissions interviews; IP screening for all student volunteer task force projects; and conducting medical clearance for early graduates to join a newly-established Medical Corps. As the number of cases declines, and p l a n s a re u n de r w ay for a retu r n -to -sc h ool, IP wi ll define the “new normal� of training physicians in the era of COVID, including social distancing requirements, adequacy and availability of PPE , daily symptom and temperature screening and monitoring cohort trends.

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A L B E R T E I N ST E I N C O L L EG E O F M E D I C I N E When the medical school opened its doors in 1955, the New York Times was already noting that “the new medic al s chool’s distinguished and talented faculty assured the institution of a place in the ranks of the great medical schools in the world.”

This prophecy has been more than fulfilled in the ensuing years.

Alb e rt Ei nstei n C ol l ege of M edi ci ne offers one of the nat io n’s largest programs for medical education. During its most recent academic year, the College of Medicine was home to 724 MD students, 158 PhD students, 106 students in the combined MD/PhD. program, and 265 postdoctoral research fellows at the Belfer Institute for Advanced Biomedical Studies. More than 9,000 Einstein alumni are among the nation’s foremost clinicians, biomedical scientists and medical educators.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ...we are more-than-satisfied at the changes we collectively made, incredibly impressed with the resilience and volunteerism of our students and facult y, and intend to evaluate COVID-19 changes for continued use in the coming months and years.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Loc ation: Bronx, NY School Type: Private School Est ablished: 1955 COVID-19 C ommunic ation Pivot Date: March 2, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes, Multiple sites within the Montefiore Health System; Jacobi Hospital; Long Island Jewish Hospital; and St . Barnabas Hospital.

How have your underrepresented in medicine and “disadvantaged” (as defined by AMCAS applic ations) student populations informed or impacted your COVID-19 response?

Twenty-four percent of our student body identify as underrepresented in medicine; 22% identif y as “disadvantaged.”

We have approached all students with equipoise.

We have m ade addition al fun ds avail abl e t o s up port i ndi v i du al s with fin an c ial st ress a n d fac i l i t at ed t hei r obt ain in g furth er mo n et a r y resources as needed. We have held an inclusion town hall led by our Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. Our mental health program has been available throughout the COVID-19 period.

Other student populations that have informed our response have been: Our international students who were tr ying to maintain their visa status. Militar y-committed students, who we’ve provided t wo options for graduation dates.

Students whose only option for residence was staying on campus. Students who left campus and were taught remotely. Students who were vulnerable and were unable to participate clinically due to higher risk of infection. Our MD/PhD combined degree students. Student volunteers entering COVID -19 sites.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Our core team includes: the Dean of the Medical School, Public Relations and C ommunications Office, Course and Clinical Director leadership

and representatives, all class student leader s and representatives, the Office of Medical Education, the Office of Student Affairs, the Information Technology team, Registrar, and the Director and staff of the Office of Educational Innovations.

Initially, we met twice, daily; now we meet two to three times a week .

What are your communication methods?

A dedicated institutional website. Regular emails to all classes. Town hall meetings with individual classes . C oordi n at i on of com m u n i cat i o n wi t h st u dent s by m eet i n gs wi t h st u de nt representatives (which ser ved to summarize, prioritize and clarif y student issues faced by each C lass ) .

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recovery strategy ?

Safet y f i r st . Volu nt a r y ret u r n t o cli n i c a l act i vi t i es . Adequ at e P P E a n d ad eq u ate super vision for students in COVID-19 locations.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. W hen to pull students from clinical care and when to reopen clinical sites to students?

2. W hen to pull students from live non-clinical instruction?

3 . How to best communicate to the four classes?

What are your top three lessons learned?

1. O ur students are beyond-fantastic in their flexibilit y, compassion and volunteerism.

2. O ur facult y and staff are fantastic in working productively and creatively under extremely stressful situations.

3 . T he past weeks have been challenging, productive and tiring, and in the “return” 7 our attention to wellness will be paramount.

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C O LU M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y VAG E LO S C O L L EG E O F P H YS I C I A N S A N D S U R G EO N S Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is guided by the principle that medical education is university education. As a part of Columbia University, the College builds its curriculum, selects its officers of instruction, and marshals its enormous resources of e q uipment and cl i ni c al experi ence to devel op i n t he student this understanding of medicine. VP&S is part of a unique collection of health sciences schools that make up the Columbia University Irving Medical Center, an integral part of the Washington Heights community in upper Manhattan—one of New York City ’s most diverse neighborhoods. Everyday, VP&S faculty, staff, and students work towards its mission— to care, to discover, to educate, and to make life better for people in need.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...we are excited about the prospects ahead.”

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Location: Washington Heights, NY School Type: Private School Established: 1767 COVID-19 Communication Pivot Date: March 15, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Ye s : C olu m b i a Sc h oo l of Nur sin g,C o lumb i a University College of Dental Medicine, Columbia M a i l m a n School of P ubl ic Health , C ol umbi a University Institute of Human Nutrition, and our programs in occupational & physical therapy.

Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: New York Presby terian—C olumbia .

What percentage of your student body is underrepresented in medicine?

Twent y-one percent .

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

There are several teams working on COVID-19 response, who meet at different frequencies.

What are your communication methods?

The vice-deans of education and student affair s hold weekly town halls for each medical school class.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recover y strategy ?

Safet y first and foremost .

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. Sending students home.

2. Pulling students from clinical rotations.

3 . Changing all teaching to virtual.

What are your top three lessons learned?

1. W e can teach and learn in all sorts of conditions and settings.

2. W e must ensure the safet y and wellness of students, facult y, and administration.

3 . W e recognize that despite our best efforts to provide and teach about optimal care, health disparities are stubbornly present due to factor s beyond the medical center, and we are obligated to address these larger causes in all settings.

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CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE T H E C I T Y C O L L EG E O F N E W YO R K The CUNY School of Medicine (CSOM), formerly the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education, was established in 1973.

Lo c ate d i n H arl em, thi s new s chool was created to provid e quality healthcare to underserved communities and produce highly skilled medical practitioners.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...o ur decis io n t o ho ld f re q u e nt c lass m e et i n g s w i th our stude nt s has a l l ow ed u s t o u n d e r st a n d m ore d e e p l y the impact of COVID on our students and to better support them.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Loc ation: Harlem, NY School Type: Private School Est ablished: 2015 COVID-19 C ommunic ation Pivot Date: March 17, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

S i xt y p erce nt of our student s identif y as underrepresented in medicine. Our students live in multigenerational homes and many had limited access to adequate technology and quiet student areas.

And many of our students live with essential workers.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Our curriculum committee worked with our offices of student affair s and medical education. We meet once a day.

What are your communication methods?

We used Zoom meetings with our core group of educators and with each of our seven classes of students.

As the pandemic evolves the associated challenges evolve and new unexpected challenges arise, which has necessitated increased flexibilit y and creativit y to make continued progress and meet the needs of ou r st u d ent s , d es p i t e t h e b a r r i er s . A key p i ece h as b een t o cont i n u e t o p rom ote wellness and a shared sense community by taking advantage of the virtual technologies to increase communication, transparency, and maintain a supportive educational environment.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. Removing students from clinical settings 2. Moving to an online pre-clerkship curriculum 3 . Developing virtual electives What are your top three lessons learned?

1. Listen to the students.

2. Listen to the clinical facult y.

3 . Listen to each other.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recover y strategy ?

The mission of CSOM is predicated on principles of diver sit y, equit y, and inclusion which are foundational.

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H AC K E N SAC K M E R I D I A N S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E AT S E TO N H A L L The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University is designed to produce exceptional physicians who t ruly understand what dri ves heal th and di s eas e, i nte g rate technology and systems into their thinking and practice, and are able to improve the health outcomes of all populations.

Each p ers on i n N ew Jers ey, and i n the Uni ted State s , regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...somehow we did it and we will continue to do what is needed.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Location: Nutley, NJ School Type: Private School Established: 2018 COVID-19 Communication Pivot Date: March 11, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: Hackensack Meridian Health Net work .

How have your underrepresented in medicine and “disadvantaged” (as defined by AMCAS applic ations) student populations informed or impacted your COVID-19 response?

Twelve percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine; 18% identif y as “disadvantaged.

Our approach to student support during this time was ver y individualized recognizing that ever y student’s needs may be different . Each student was contacted on several occasions during the last 10 weeks and checks were made on health, emotional and financial wellbeing. Resources were provided as needed and emergency financial assistance, from both the School of Medicine, and the larger CARES funds. We intend to continue regular check-ins throughout remaining remote learning. Weekly Town Hall meetings with the School of Medicine Deans provide updates on COVID-19, academic scheduling, guidelines for student activities, and announcements.

We have ap p roac h ed th is in a ver y individualized way, taking into considerations w h e re st u de nt s are l ivin g, wh ere th ey are from, family circumstances, and other factor s.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Administration, facult y, staff, community programs, and staff from multiple units at the school. We meet once a day.

What are your communication methods?

Frequ ent m eet i n gs , colla b or at i on a p p, chat /email, town halls, and bulletin emails.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recovery strategy ?

1. To prepare 1-2 weeks prior to when we needed to switch to online (we identified that it was likely to happen earlier than most) 2 . A t ever y st ep of t h e p rocess , t o b e planning for the next possible needed ch a n ges /cont i n gen ci es 3 . C ommunication with/from national organization and peer institutions.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

4. R emoving students from clinical settings 5. M oving to an online pre-clerkship curriculum 6. Developing virtual electives What are your top three lessons learned?

1. You can’t predict life.

2. A lways prepare (and prepare more than you think you need to).

3 . C ommunication, communication, communication.

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I CA H N S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E AT M O U N T S I N A I The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is the medic al and graduate school for the Mount Sinai Health System, the largest healthcare network in New York, where students are expos ed to unparalleled clinical opportunities. The Icahn School of Medicine’s mission is to advance medicine through unrivaled education, research, clinical care and outreach in the many communities they serve. Situated at the intersection of East Harlem and the Upper East Side, the Icahn School of Medicine s hare s a n ei ght s quare bl ock radi us wi th The M ount S ina i Hospital, integrating academic and clinical excellence with diversity, giving students the unique opportunity to interact and share experiences with people of every cultural background.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...we insisted that in town halls students who post questions no longer do so anonymously. That helped shift the tone of those presentations and Q& A sessions.”

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Loc ation: East Harlem, NY School Type: Private School Established: 1963 COVID-19 Communication Pivot Date: March 4, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: 1. The Mount Sinai Hospital 2. Elmhurst Hospital C enter 3 . Mount Sinai Morningside 4. Mount Sinai West 5 . Mount Sinai Brooklyn 6. Mount Sinai Queens 7. New York Eye & Ear Infirmar y 8. Mount Sinai Beth Israel 9. Mount Sinai Nassau How have your underrepresented in medicine and “disadvantaged” (as defined by AMCAS applic ations) student populations informed or impacted your COVID-19 response?

Twent y percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine; 15% identif y as “disadvantaged.

We have made all our decisions and determined all of our policies through a lens of equit y in order to ensure that students who are URiM and/ or disadvantaged are not disproportionately impacted by the pandemic’s influence on medical education.

Other student populations that informed our decisions were our LGBTQ+, fir st- generation, and DACA students.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Student Affairs, Curricular Affairs, Academic Administration, Admissions, Diver sity Affair s, Enrollment Services, Infection Prevention, Student H e a l th, Ele ct i ve s, an d th e Graduate Sc h ool Administration. We meet more than once a day.

What are your communication methods?

We have sent out Daily Digests to students, weekly newsletters to staff and facult y, maintained a webbased app for students, town halls for the students body and for specific cohorts of students, regular

meetings with class reps, and multiple weekly meetings with leadership (deans, chair s, hospital presidents, and CMOs).

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recovery strategy ?

1. To ensure the safet y of our students, clinicians, staff and patients in the health system and the communit y 2. To recognize the fact that we are living through a public health crisis and this is an unprecedented time in medical education 3 . To acknowledge the stressor s that staff, students, and faculty are facing regarding their future, their goals, and what they want to accomplish. We reflect upon these through a lens of equit y, access, and fairness 4. To keep students on track to complete their graduation requirements in a timely fashion 5. To allow flexibilit y for students to learn and participate remotely when warranted 6. To meet our medical education program objectives and the requirements of our governance bodies: Executive Oversight C ommittee and LCME What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. Changing graduation requirements 2. Changing Step exam expectations 3 . S hifting all learning and Student Affair s functions to remote/virtual sessions and programming What are your top three lessons learned?

1. L et go of conventions that are part of history/ tradition of medical education, but aren’t essential to training future physicians 2. H ow to communicate rapidly, effectively, respectfully, and flexibly 3 . T he importance of reinforcing our focus on equit y, diver sit y, and inclusion in the face of a crisis that is impacting ever yone, but15 impacting some disproportionately

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N E W YO R K M E D I CA L C O L L EG E The New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Medicine is one of the oldest and largest medical schools in the United States, dating back to its founding in 1860. Established by a group of civic leaders focused on training doctors to provide co m p assi onate—as wel l as competent—medi c al c a re, t he School of Medicine has grown in size and reputation. Today NYMC enrolls more than 800 students, employs a faculty of 2,800 and offers four degrees: MD, MD/MPH and MD/PhD.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...we supported fully virtual clerkships.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Location: Valhalla , NY School Type: Private School Established: 1860 COVID-19 Communication Pivot Date: March 2, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: New York Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice, New York Medical College, Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and Touro School of Dental Medicine.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Dean’s office, medical education, student affair s, academ i c s u p p or t , f i n a n ce, h ea lt h se r v i c e s, instructional technology, facilities. We meet a few times a week .

Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: 1. Metropolitan Hospital C enter 2. Westchester Medical C enter 3 . Good Samaritan Hospital 4. MidHudson Regional Hospital 5 . Brookdale Hospital 6. St. Joseph’s Regional Medical C enter 7. Greenwich Hospital 8. Lenox Hill Hospital 9. Northern Westchester Hospital 10. Montrose VA Hospital

What are your communication methods?

We use a combination of internal zoom meetings and emails for the core group.

Messaging to the communit y from the group has included newsletter s and town halls. We also set up a resource page both on the student learning management system and on the college website.

How have your underrepresented in medicine and “disadvantaged” (as defined by AMCAS applic ations) student populations informed or impacted your COVID-19 response?

Fifteen percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine; 10% identif y as “disadvantaged.

We’ve used weekly town halls by academic year to keep engaged with our students about all aspects of student life, academics, mental health and well-being and academic support since the pandemic started; the Associate Dean for Diversit y and Inclusion has also continued to have “virtual” office hour s during this period.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recovery strategy ?

Transparency, safety, and inclusion.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. Choosing to pull students from core rotations 2. C ovening COVID -Response team 3 . I nitiating regular town hall meetings wi t h t h e st u d ent s ea r ly on What are your top three lessons learned?

1. The communit y wants decisive action 2. You will never have all of the answer s 3 . T here is power in working as a team (internal and external--like this NY regional group)

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N E W YO R K U N I V E R S I T Y GROSSMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NYU Grossman School of Medicine has a long history of excellence, beginning in 1841 when six eminent physician– s cie nt ists opened the medi c al col l ege that woul d be c o me NYU School of Medicine.The school trains and fostered the innovations of thousands of physicians and scientists who have helped shape the course of medical history. As an integral part of NYU Langone Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine is committed to a tri fold mission of patient care, medic al education, and scientific research. In November 2019, the school was renamed NYU Grossman School of Medicine to honor current dean and CEO Robert I. Grossman, MD.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...our decision to hold frequent class meetings with our students has allowed us to under stand more deeply the impac of COVID on our students and to better support them.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Loc ation: New York , NY School Type: Private School Est ablished: 1841 COVID-19 C ommunic ation Pivot Date: March 12, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Sixt y percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine. Our students live in multigenerational homes and many had limited access to adequate technology and quiet student areas.

And many of our students live with essential workers.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Our curriculum committee worked with our offices of student affairs and medical education.

We meet once a day.

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What are your communication methods?

We used Zoom meetings with our core group of educators and with each of our seven classes of students.

As the pandemic evolves the associated challenges evolve and new unexpected challenges arise, which has necessitated increased flexibilit y and creativit y to make continued progress and meet the needs of our students, despite the barrier s. A key p i ece h as b een t o cont i n u e t o p rom ote wellness and a shared sense community by taking advantage of the virtual technologies to increase communication, transparency, and maintain a supportive educational environment.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. Removing students from clinical settings 2. Moving to an online pre-clerkship curriculum 3 . Developing virtual electives What are your top three lessons learned?

1. Listen to the students.

2. Listen to the clinical facult y.

3 . Listen to each other.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recover y strategy ?

T h e m i ss i on of C SOM is predic ated on principles of diver sit y, equit y, and inclusion which are foundational.

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R U TG E R S N E W J E R S E Y M E D I CA L S C H O O L New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) is committed to educ ating humanistic, culturally competent physicians who will respect every patient regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status or language. Core values serve as the framework for learning for all NJMS students and include not only clinical and ac ademic excellence, integrity, ethical and professional behavior but als o compassion.

NJMS is committed to fostering diversity in the medic al profession and actively recruit students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine. The Hispanic Center of Excellence, established in 1990, recruits students as well as faculty, building both the medical and educational pipeline for students underrepresented in medicine.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...this has allowed us to further innovate in a compressed time frames..”

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Location: Newark, NJ School Type: Public School Established: 1954 COVID-19 Communication Pivot Date: March 16, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Yes: Hackensack Meridian Health Net work .

How have your underrepresented in medicine and “disadvantaged” (as defined by AMCAS applic ations) student populations informed or impacted your COVID-19 response?

Twelve percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine; 18% identif y as “disadvantaged.

Our approach to student support during this time was ver y individualized recognizing that ever y student’s needs may be different . Each student was contacted on several occasions during the last 10 weeks and checks were made on health, emotional and financial wellbeing.

Resources were provided as needed and emergency financial assistance, from both the School of Medicine, and the larger CARES funds. We intend to continue regular check-ins throughout remaining remote learning. Weekly Town Hall meetings with the School of Medicine Deans provide updates on COVID -19, academic scheduling, guidelines for student activities, and announcements.

We have approached this in a ver y individualized way, taking into considerations where students are living, where they are from, family circumstances, and other factor s.

Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Administration, facult y, staff, community programs, and staff from multiple units at the school. We meet once a day.

What are your communication methods?

Frequent meetings, collaboration app, chat/ email, town halls, and bulletin emails.

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recover y strategy ?

1. To prepare 1-2 weeks prior to when we needed to switch to online (we identified that it was likely to happen earlier than most) 2. A t ever y step of the process, to be planning for the next possible needed changes/contingencies 3 . C ommunication with/from national organization and peer institutions.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

4. R emoving students from clinical settings 5. M oving to an online pre-clerkship curriculum 6. Developing virtual electives What are your top three lessons learned?

1. You can’t predict life.

2. A lways prepare (and prepare more than you think you need to).

3 . C ommunication, communication,

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ZU C K E R S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E AT H O FST R A /N O R T H W E L L Established in 2008, the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra /Northwell on Long Island, New York, was founded by two equal partners: Hofstra University and Northwell Health. It was the first allopathic medical s chool established in Nassau County, Long Island, and the first new medical school in the New York metropolitan area in more than 35 years. A diverse community of 400 students and over 3100 faculty, Zucker School of Medicine is a premier medic al s chool located on the North Campus of Hofstra in western Long Island, just 25 miles from Manhattan.

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It ’s hard to believe this happened, but ... ...we ran all fully remote exams (essay, structure) for the first time within several days of flipping to a remote environment.

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FAST FACT S A B O U T T H E SC H O O L Location: Hempstead, NY School Type: Private School Est ablished: 2011 COVID-19 C ommunic ation Pivot Date: March 10, 2020

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COVID-19 RESPONSE: AN INTERVIEW WITH THE SCHOOL Are you affiliated with inpatient clinical sites that have impacted your COVID-19 response?

Twent y percent of our students identif y as underrepresented in medicine; 23% identif y as “disadvantaged.

We have attempted to make the best decisions possible in the moment given the current information and will all students interests in mind Who is on your core COVID-19 Response Team and how often do you meet?

Associate Deans for Curriculum, Assessment , Operations, GME , Student Affair s, and the Chair of Science Education. At fir st we met daily; now we meet several times a week .

What are your communication methods?

We use Zoom calls with one another. When communicating with students, we communicate through town halls and emails.

What were your top 3 most impactful decisions made during COVID-19 response?

1. F iguring out the best communication strategy and implementing it 2. S uspending third-year clerkships when the hospital had become all COVID and learning experiences on non-medicine ser vices essentially didn’t exist 3 . Graduating our students early What are your top three lessons learned?

1. C ommunication strategy and information sharing is key 2. I t is important to be transparent with the rapid pace of new and uncertain information and share what we do/do not know 3 . N eed to strike a balance between considering students as laypeople and as physicians in training

What are your core guiding principles as you plan your COVID response and recover y strategy ?

Initially it was to complete the last week of fir stand second-year cour ses when the pandemic hit . Since then, it has been to: 1. D eliver a remote curriculum as close as possible to in-person experiences; 2. Diligently track areas we cannot; 3 . B e flexible: adapt in real time and support students, staff, and facult y; 4. Communicate up, down, and laterally; 5 . M aintain transparency about what is and is not known during this time.

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