Over the past five months, I have learned much about Yale and its deep commitment to our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. I’ve met with every section chief, and they've all affirmed their commitment and support to DEI within the department. I am thankful for their support.
Recruitment
On November 1, we held the Yale Virtual URiM Fellowship Recruitment Fair for candidates interested in our medicine and pediatric fellowships.
I am participating in ongoing interviews for the Internal Medicine Traditional Residency Program and the Internal Medicine Primary Care Residency Program. For candidates interviewed by Yale GME programs, planning is underway for our annual Diversifying the Healthcare Workforce dinner event. This year, we are planning for the first in-person dinner since COVID. It will be held on Thursday, February 8, for URiM candidates who interviewed with Yale residency programs. Though the focus is on URiM candidates, the event is open to other candidates.
Retention
Kristine Olson, MD, and Michael Ivy, MD, were recently featured on Becker’s Healthcare Podcast to discuss programs available to help combat physician burnout. During the episode, they spoke about the Yancy Forums, a proprietary peer group support program led by a professional moderator. These forums have been shown to reduce burnout, heighten a sense of shared mission and belonging, and improve leadership and communication skills of participants.
We are proud to have some of our trainees participating in these forums and other programs as part of our efforts to foster wellness and personal and professional growth. You can listen to the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast on Apple Podcasts.
On November 1, we launched the new URiM Physician Experience Mentoring Program. This initiative matches every URiM trainee in the Department of Internal Medicine with a URiM faculty member. The trainees are going to meet with their mentor every eight weeks. The mentors have direct access to an online support tool to guide these sessions and to request resources and support for mentees from the GME Office as needed. Thank you to the URiM faculty participating in this program.
Yesterday, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medicine held a retreat at the Blake Hotel. Aba Black, MD, led the event, during which we began standardizing a DEI-specific curriculum for Sections across the department. This is in addition to the integration of DEI topics into existing curricula. Stay tuned for more information on what we learned through this retreat.
Faculty Development
The plans for the June 2024 Career Mentorship and Sponsorship Retreat to foster faculty development and retention continue to be developed. This retreat will be for section chiefs and senior faculty who serve on mentorship panels that oversee promotion preparedness for junior faculty within our 11 sections. We are working on the attendance list and will continue to share information as details are finalized.
ODEIM Tools
Last month, Cayetana Navarro and I started sharing our DEI Productivity Calculator with academic medical centers as part of a nationwide study out of Yale to assist in calibrating the DEI Activity Impact Score generated by the tool. DEI leaders from over 40 academic medical centers have consented to use the calculator so far. We would like to present and discuss this project with other DEI leaders from academic medical centers at the March 2024 national meeting of the AAMC Group on Diversity and Inclusion to be held in Philadelphia.
Cayetana and I met with all the leaders of the diversity working groups. We have asked each group to develop a goal and three specific objectives they hope to accomplish within 24 months. As we advance, the leaders of our working groups will have a two-year term. We have another meeting planned for December 18 to review the objectives for each working group. We would like more participation by staff in our staff working group. If you are interested, please contact Cayetana via email.
Upcoming Talks
We are back in Fitkin Auditorium for our next Equity Begins with Everyone (EBE) gathering. Mark your calendars for Monday, November 20, from 12 – 1 p.m. Next week, Infectious Diseases physician Lydia Aoun-Barakat, MD, and Research Associate Rebecca Cardone, MSc, will be our guest speakers.
We will be diversifying our menu for these meetings with different cuisines from around the world. I hope to see you there. Please RSVP here.
A few weeks ago, I was honored to present a talk to the Yale Center for Medical Education’ Medical Education Group entitled “Diversifying the Healthcare Workforce from Students and Beyond.” My presentation was recorded and can be watched at this link. Thank you to the Yale Center for Medical Education for the opportunity.
Below are the secular and religious events during November:
- November is National Native American Heritage Month, created in 1990 through a White House resolution to recognize the contributions of the people native to this country.
- Veterans Day was Friday, November 10. Yale honored our U.S. military veterans through two different events. The Beinecke Library display, which commemorates Black soldiers in the Civil War, is still available to be viewed until November 16.
- Sunday, November 12, marked the start of the five-day festival of Diwali. Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains celebrate this event, which honors “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”
- November 20 marks the Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance to memorialize those who have experienced violence because of transphobia.
Did you know that Yale recently established a new Affinity group, the Indigenous Leaders at Yale (ILY)? Cayetana is one of the founders of the group, which “offers a community for those who identify as Indigenous Peoples.” If you would like to learn more, contact ILY via email.
For this month’s “Voices of DEI,” we highlight Nii Addy, PhD. You can read this column on the website and via social media. If you wish to participate as a featured voice of DEI, please complete the survey at this link.
I am committed to supporting and expanding DEI efforts within the Department of Internal Medicine; please join me. Equity begins with everyone. Together, we strive. Together, we rise.
Respectfully Yours,
Benjamin Mba, MBBS, MRCP (UK), CHCQM, FACP
Vice Chair, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Department of Internal Medicine
Graduate Medical Education Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine