My work centers on moving the PA Online Program’s communities toward a just, equitable, and anti-racist culture so that all students, staff, and faculty experience the support they need to achieve their full potential.
Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment Statement
The Yale School of Medicine Physician Assistant Online and Physician Associate programs jointly commit to promote diversity and an inclusive environment by continuously engaging in education, reflection, and advocacy for the benefit of the communities in which we learn, work, and serve.
Curriculum & Climate
PA Online Program students and faculty participate in synchronous and asynchronous educational activities that explore bias, discrimination, microaggression, (dis)ability and person-centered health care needs, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion/spirituality, and social determinants of health.
Each incoming cohort elects a student director of diversity to the James Van Rhee Student Society during the didactic phase. The student director of diversity collaborates with Diane Bruessow, the director of JEDI, to identify new opportunities for enhancing the student experience of the curriculum and climate within that cohort.
A tradition that began with the program’s first cohort is for the first synchronous session of the term to be a JEDI-centered medical humanities discussion. Books explored have included:
- Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fadiman, A. (1998)
- When Breath Becomes Air. Kalanithi, P. (2017)
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot, R. (2018)
- And the Band Played On. Shilts, R. (1987)
- Hidden Mercy. O’Loughlin, M. (2021)
During the core and elective rotations within the clinical phase, students are further prepared to care for patients with consideration for race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality, and (dis)ability.
Program Policies
Student and faculty policies and procedures integrate JEDI principles, ensuring JEDI is a cross-cutting priority for the program. JEDI principles are reflected in the Yale PA Online Program Values.