Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Benjamin Mba, MBBS, Vice Chair, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Department of Internal Medicine strives to create an inviting environment and an institutional culture of inclusivity in which every member’s unique characteristics are valued and respected.

Leadership

Benjamin MBA, MBBS, joined the Department of Internal Medicine as vice chair for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in July 2023. He came to Yale from Cook County Hospital and Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois. Mba also serves as the Graduate Medical Education Director (GME) of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) and Yale School of Medicine (YSM).

Vandana Khungar, MD, MSc; Aba Black, MD, MHS; and Stephen Huot, MD, PhD, served as interim leaders for the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Internal Medicine (ODEIM) since the search for a vice chair began in the spring of 2022.

Mentorship

The Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) Physician Experience Mentoring Program was launched as a pilot program in September 2023. This initiative matches every URiM resident trainee in the department with a URiM faculty member, and the pairs are slated to meet every eight weeks. Mentees are guided and supported through individual experiences as mentors share their professional experiences and strategies to overcome challenges specific to URiM trainees. The mentors also have direct access to resources and support from the GME Office for their mentees as needed.

Outreach and Diversity

Outreach and recruitment efforts continued through in numerous in-person and virtual recruitment fairs throughout the year. The teams showcased Yale’s inclusive, supportive, and equitable climate and its vast array of outstanding medical education and training opportunities.

A group of 20 representatives attended the Latino Medical Student Association conference in person for the first time. Yale held its first virtual recruitment fair for all three medical schools in Connecticut— Yale School of Medicine, UConn School of Medicine, and the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University— with 42 students in attendance. Yale also hosted its second annual Yale-HBCU Virtual Residency Recruitment Fair with over 120 participants from the four HBCU medical schools: Howard, Meharry, Charles R. Drew, and Morehouse. In addition, Yale hosted its sixth annual recruitment dinner in early 2023 for potential URiM residents, with over 130 virtual attendees.

Gary Désir, MD, and Deborah Dyett Desir, MD, hosted YSM’s annual Minority Organization for Retention and Expansion (MORE) event in September. URiM students from across the state are invited to attend along with DEI champions at YSM to learn about MORE and its strategy to increase diversity at YSM, including mentorship and available resources.

The incoming residency class reported that over 25% of the new residents identify as URiM, an increase of 5% over the previous year.

Visiting Student

The department welcomed its second visiting student, Humberto R. Nieves Jiménez, from the Universidad Central del Caribe in Puerto Rico. Nieves Jiménez took a four-week medical elective in rheumatology, where he studied various inflammatory rheumatic diseases at YNHH.

Equity and Inclusion

The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Internal Medicine (ODEIM) team began developing an inclusion climate survey for distribution in early 2024. The survey aims to assess experiences of inclusion at the individual, section, and departmental levels. The survey will also capture staff and faculty members’ mentorship and sponsorship experiences.

A new series called Equity Begins with Everyone (EBE) Gatherings debuted in September 2023. An outgrowth of the diversity committee meetings, the monthly EBE Gatherings invite faculty and staff to join and present on a topic of their choice related to their experiences, challenges, and aspirations for a more inclusive Department of Medicine. A moderated open session is held after the speakers’ presentations. The EBE Gatherings constitute a safe and confidential platform for all.

ODEIM’s Program Manager, Cayetana Navarro, along with Jennifer Rawlings and Diana Onco-Ingyadet, is a co-founder of the Indigenous Leaders at Yale (ILY). ILY is the ninth affinity group at the university; it offers a community for everyone who identifies as an Indigenous person, but its programming is open to all.

Looking Ahead

ODEIM is organizing events to create pathways for the next generation of medical providers, including groups historically marginalized in STEM fields. One goal is to identify high school students who are passionate about exploring the field of medicine, and to foster their interests.

In addition, ODEIM is developing an online DEI Productivity Calculator tool that generates a DEI Activity Impact Score to use a DEI-related metric for academic promotion at medical centers nationwide.