Dear Colleagues:
We are very excited to continue the vision of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medicine (ODEIM) in our new interim roles. Our continued commitment to the mission will ensure that no momentum is lost in this transition period.
Our department has a great diversity of people, and there are numerous holidays that may be observed across our team. In April, Ramadan, Vaisakhi, Passover, Mahavir Jayanti, and Easter are all celebrated. We have shared an interfaith calendar as part of our ODEIM Suggested Events Calendar. To learn more about these holidays, visit this link and click on the red box on the left.
In addition to these religious holidays, March 31 marked the Transgender Day of Visibility. Created by trans advocate Rachel Crandall in 2010, this worldwide commemoration celebrates the lives and contributions of transgender people and is one of two days of awareness for this community.
In January, the diversity committee attended a training from former Yale resident, Emmanuel “Manny” C. Ohuabunwa, MD, MBA. He discussed the negative effects of microaggressions, particularly as they pertain to using one’s name. Ohuabunwa created a training that aims to change the culture around names by tackling name-based microaggressions and the resultant differential use of formality in medicine. We are excited to announce that this training will be available to department staff on Wednesday, May 4 at 12 p.m. Look out for an email with the zoom information. If you are interested, you can read Ohuabunwa’s Annals of Emergency Medicine publication “Say Our Names. We Are Doctors Too.”
As we navigate the future within ODEIM, we want to make sure everyone knows whom to contact when questions arise, but first wanted to share a little about ourselves.
In December 2020, I came to Yale School of Medicine (YSM) after seven years on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where I served as a transplant hepatologist and the Director of Inpatient Hepatology. At Yale, I am the Associate Medical Director of Liver Transplant and I was honored to have been named the Vice Chief of DEI for the Section of Digestive Diseases in 2021. I have had a longstanding commitment to ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and for our patients. My goal throughout my career has been to ensure that underserved populations receive exceptional care and that I advocate for each patient equally. I look forward to hearing all viewpoints in the department, realizing that we need everyone to be committed to the DEI mission in order for it to succeed. Our goal should be to set new social norms so that diversity, equity, and inclusion become the default setting for all members of the medical center. We must also remember that diversity comes in many forms and intersectionality is complex. Certain groups have been systemically under-resourced for generations, and special efforts need to be made to correct those inequities. True diversity includes diversity of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and interests. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.
In June 2013, I came to YSM as a resident in the Internal Medicine Primary Care program, where I served as a chief resident. I joined the faculty in 2017 and subsequently became Associate Program Director for Diversity & Inclusion in the Internal Medicine Primary Care program. Through my work in the Section of General Internal Medicine, I focus on enhancing workplace diversity and inclusion. Clinically, I work with underserved populations in primary care. In 2021, along with being named the Vice Chief of DEI for my section, I was named as co-director of the Race, Bias, and Advocacy in Medicine (RBAM) Distinction Pathway. In the DEI space, I try to get us to think about how we can make sure our work environment is a mirror of the diversity of the nation that we're living in, but also that we're creating a culture of inclusion and belonging for everyone.
If there are questions about any Department of Medicine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, or an issue pertaining to DEI across the department for faculty, trainees, or staff, please contact Vandana. If you are a DEI vice chief and have a question or concern, contact Aba. For GME-related DEI questions, contact Steve Huot.
For this month’s “Voices of DEI,” we highlight Judith Meadows, MD, MPH. You can read this column on the website and via social media. If you wish to participate, complete the survey at this link.
We are excited to partner with each of you on DEI initiatives going forward.
Best wishes,
Vandana Khungar, MD, MSc (interim)
Vice Chief for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (Digestive Diseases)
Associate Professor of Medicine (Digestive Diseases)
Aba Black, MD, MHS (interim)
Vice Chief for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (General Internal Medicine)
Assistant Professor of Medicine (General Internal Medicine)