Diversity

concerns are formally reported to the UROEI for follow up.

Evidence-based literature increasingly suggests that diverse workplace environments perform better than those that lack diversity. Issues linked to diversity are top-of-mind within the department of more than 1,100 employees who represent a wide range of ethnic, gender and socio-economic backgrounds. Turner points out that while race is often a significant factor in these discussions, it’s also important to acknowledge a multitude of other factors like gender, sexuality, disability and hierarchy in the workplace.

But even a work environment that’s perceived as diverse still has room for improvement. to be more equitable and inclusive. As Turner points out, “You can have a diverse department that’s not equitable or inclusive where competent and qualified individuals may not be equitably mentored or included in workplace decision making.”

This can often lead to a cycle in which the same people who provide diversity perceive or experience lack of growth and advancement, and leave even the most well-meaning organizations. If the root causes go uncorrected, this cycle of recruitment and attrition can continue.

At a high level, the FSDC acts in an advisory role. The committee convened in January 2021 and since then has begun gathering feedback from all employees. Their first employee survey received hundreds of responses which the committee reviewed individually. They will use this data to identify areas of need and make actionable recommendations to the Chair. While sweeping change won’t happen overnight, you have to start somewhere, explained Turner.

“An organization has to first accept and embrace that there are problems and acknowledge that some cannot be solved in the short term,” he said. “It must be willing to objectively accept the results, even when the results expose embarrassing truths.”

It’s not enough to simply identify problems, he continued. The organization must make strides to address them with outcome measures for success.

MAKING STRIDES

As an institution, URMC has already taken steps to improve upon a spotty legacy. Last summer CEO and School of Medicine Dean Mark Taubman, M.D., authorized the removal of the name of founder George Whipple, from public spaces. Whipple was a pathologist whose renown was marred by overt racism after he resisted admitting Black students to the medical school.

The medical school has also recently introduced new scholarships for Black students and pledged to prioritize similar strides toward equitable admission moving forward. Our department also recognizes the importance of cultivating a diverse learning environment as a precursor to the workplace. One example is a new financial scholarship to our medical technology training program that’s available to students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Whether it’s identifying areas of improvement internally or guiding external recruitment efforts, the FSDC is focused on cultivating an environment where everyone is treated equitably and involved in decisions that affect their well-being. From a recruitment perspective, Vicki Roberts, director of the medical technology training program who also sits on the FSDC, says striving for greater representation will benefit everyone long-term. “When we seek to educate, recruit and retain talent that represents a wide array of backgrounds, the final product is deep, relevant and authentic,” said Roberts. “It enriches our work culture and environment at the University where all people can feel at home. This promotes retention, but more importantly encourages a good sense of well-being in our spaces.”

EQUIPPED TO SERVE

Since taking this role, Turner has done quite a lot of listening – largely informed by his own work in the community. Turner, a breast and gynecologic pathologist, is heavily involved in several charitable organizations. He is a board member and past treasurer of the Black Physicians’ Network (BPN) whose most recent efforts help medical students from underrepresented backgrounds through scholarship fundraising, academic networking and confidence-building interactions with other physicians of color. “One of the issues for many

“You can have a diverse department that’s underrepresented minorities is that not equitable or inclusive where competent and when an individual is perceived or qualified individuals may not be equitably mentored feels like the ‘only one,’ it can be an or included in workplace decision making.” obstacle for a number of reasons,” - Bradley Turner, M.D. said Turner. They may lack proper mentoring or be excluded from workplace decision making which can lead to self-isolation, and, “This combination of conscious and unconscious bias and isolation exaggerates a cycle of exclusion.” To help expose young students to career opportunities, Turner, who is a founding board member of the Academy of Health Sciences Charter School in Rochester, also serves as the school's health sciences liaison for health sciences. Pre-COVID, he coordinated visits to the UR Medicine Central Laboratory at Bailey Road, where students in grades 5 to 8 could see the work of the clinical laboratory and learn about careers in the field from faculty and staff. He is also involved in fundraising with the fraternal organization, Sigma Pi Phi, whose local chapter, Gamma Iota, gives scholarships through its non-profit foundation together with the Urban League. His passion for encouraging education and representation is something he hopes to use at URMC as the Pathology diversity and inclusion officer. But real progress starts with being willing to listen, Turner says. “When you listen and try to understand someone else’s point of view, you often gain insight into their motivation. Although you may still disagree, this insight provides an opportunity for more effective communication. This is critical to building successful relationships that value diversity, equity, and inclusion.”