August is the month during which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of 250,000 people (August 28, 1963.)
Outreach and Recruitment
From August 4-6, because of a collaboration between the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medicine (ODEIM) and the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a YSM and Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH) delegation of 10 faculty members showcased graduate medical education and faculty opportunities at the National Medical Association (NMA) national conference in New York City. The NMA is a predominately Black or African American physician organization founded in 1895 when Black physicians could not join the American Medical Association. We showcased over 70 open faculty positions across several clinical departments at Yale—a big thank you to Cat Gomez-Stafford, who seamlessly organized our participation.
Additionally, I want to thank our faculty members who showed up to represent Yale, including Emmanuel Akintoye, MD, MPH; Vivian Asare, MD; Aba Black, MD, MHS; Jacquelyne Gaddy, MD, MSc; MSCR; Darin Latimore, MD; Ruby Lekwauwa, MD; Faye Rogers, MD; Sangini Sheth, MD, MPH, FACOG; and Kwame Tuffuor, MD, MBA.
I am happy to share that for the academic year 2024 to 2025, the Department of Medicine has awarded five visiting student elective scholarships to final-year medical students from Wayne State University, Oklahoma State University, Brown University, Rowan University, and Edward Via College.
Plans are underway for the third annual YSM and YNHH Historically Black Colleges and Universities HBCU Medical School virtual recruitment fair on September 11, 2024. Talking about outreach, we also plan to send a 22-person YSM and YNHH delegation to the Latino Medical Student Association from September 20 - 22, 2024.
Retention
The Minority House Staff Organization (MHO) members have been invited to join the Minority Organization for Retention and Expansion (MORE) Annual Welcome Event on September 15, 2024.
On July 22, ODEIM shared the executive summary of the Department of Medicine inclusion climate survey, its action plan, strategies, and next steps to make the Department of Medicine more inclusive and equitable in response to the report’s findings. You can access both via the links below.
The action plans represent a collaboration with all DEI vice chiefs across the sections.
Upcoming Talks
Don’t miss our next Equity Begins with Everyone (EBE) gathering on Monday, August 19 at noon in Fitkin Auditorium and on Zoom. We highly encourage in-person attendance. Our speaker is Doug McKinley, PsyD, who will deliver an interactive session titled, “Are you alone in your career, or are you on the journey with others?” We will continue to source food from different parts of the world.
Below are the secular and religious events during August:
- August 1: Lughnasadh
- August 9: International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
- August 13: Tisha B’Av
- August 15: Assumption of Mary
- August 18: Lord Krishna’s Birthday
- August 26: Women’s Equality Day; Krishna Janmashtami
- August 31: International Day of People of African Descent
If you haven’t participated in our monthly column, “Voices of DEI,” please consider doing so. These columns are featured on the Internal Medicine website and social media channels. If you wish to be a featured voice of DEI, please complete the survey using 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
Benjamin Mba, MBBS, MRCP (UK), CHCQM, FACP
Professor of Medicine
Vice Chair, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Internal Medicine
Graduate Medical Education Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion & Associate Designated Institutional Official for Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine