About
As Georgetown University School of Medicine (GUSOM) graduates serve increasingly diverse patients and communities, healthcare inequities continue to persist in minoritized and underserved communities. Georgetown University recognizes these realities and is committed to developing a dynamic, thriving, and diverse team of healthcare professionals that more fully represent the communities it serves.
Equipping medical students with the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will positively impact patients, student learners, healthcare organizations, and society by developing trainees that aim to improve both the clinical learning environment, outcomes, healthcare quality, and patient satisfaction from groups historically excluded and underrepresented in medicine.
Goal
The goal is to prepare the learner for leadership and advocacy roles pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in medicine, ranging from personal endeavors to administrative roles in complex academic and healthcare organizations through the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attributes required to evaluate, design, implement, and disseminate interventions which promote DEI.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion students will be able to:
- Understand complex perspectives relating to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and life experiences which shape the clinical learning environment, influence clinical decision making, and ultimately impact the delivery of patient care;
- Demonstrate a commitment to serving individuals of diverse backgrounds and to increasing cultural and social acceptance for members of all backgrounds in the field of medicine;
- Understand the role of discrimination, bias, microaggressions, and racism in the ability to deliver equitable care and use increased competency in anti-racism, cultural humility, social justice, racial equity, allyship, disabusing disability, gender/sexuality issues, and LGBTQ+ promotion and acceptance to eliminate health disparities and improve health equity;
- Critically evaluate organizational climates and attitudes which impose barriers to creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments;
- Design and implement programming or interventions which promote organizational cultural change pertaining to DEI;
- Present scholarly work to academic and organizational audiences which improves patient education, expands the framework of clinical decision making, and contributes to the body of work in DEI;
- Demonstrate readiness for leadership roles in DEI by acquiring skills in assessing organizational values and attitudes, developing a mission, forging collaborations, facilitating dynamic small groups, navigating difficult conversations, understanding group dynamics, unifying members toward accomplishing a common goal, and cultivating initiatives; and
- Serve as a champion of DEI in future experiences and recognize that working to dismantle systems of power designed to benefit certain groups and harm others is a lifelong commitment and is imperative to improving the health outcomes of patients.
Overview/Highlights of Curriculum
M1 Year
- Track introductory meeting
- Journal club
- Attendance at Grand Round event
Summer following M1
- Completion of self-paced modules: DEI Foundation Modules and DEI Leadership Institute Topics.
- Students are not required to be local for this experience.
- Participation in track check-in at conclusion of summer
- 10-minute peer-to-peer teaching on a topic of choice
M2, M3, M4 Years
The following items are completed throughout the M2-M4 years:
- Participation in annual journal club
- Attendance at annual Grand Round event
- 50-hour experiential learning experience (Longitudinal Community-Based Relationship and Continuing Education Colloquia)
- Immersive DEI Coaching Experience
- Longitudinal Mentorship
- Scholarly Project
How to Enroll
- Enrollment: 5-10 students are accepted per year.
Criteria for Acceptance into Track:
- Students from groups historically excluded and under-represented in medicine
- Lived experience that would help applicants fulfill the goals and meet the objectives of the track
- Evidence of previous work/volunteer experience related to diversity, inclusion, and equity
- Quality of personal motivation for wanting to become a DEI leader and how applicants would like to utilize the competencies they’ll gain to the advantage of the healthcare system, their patients, and the communities they’ll serve
Outcomes
Capstone Project
Students will complete a scholarly project culminating in either a poster presentation, abstract or manuscript submission, program design or evaluation, or other substantive project that addresses a DEI issue in medicine. Sample projects ideas include: identifying DEI topics in which high quality training does not exist and designing relevant modules using evidence-based resources; or assisting a community organization in program design and/or implementation of an intervention which addresses a diversity-, equity-, or inclusion-focused need. Because special focus will be given to the publication of work which advances DEI, students will be paired with faculty mentors and relevant support staff who will aid in manuscript preparation and submission.
Future Goals
- To learn as much from our learners as they learn from us
- To continue expanding our group of available mentors to meet future student needs. This will include graduates of the track serving as future mentors.
- To establish meaningful, collaborative partnerships with community organizations with a similar mission
- To make a significant impact on the ability of GUSOM and our MedStar and community partners to meet their DEI-related goals
Track Directors
- Track Directors:
- Keisha Bell, MD
- Colin Stewart, MD
- Senior Advisor to the Track: Ann Jay, MD