Our work to create the infrastructure for the department’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Internal Medicine (ODEIM) continues.
The Section of Infectious Diseases formed the ID Section DEI and Anti-Racism (ID2EA) curriculum committee, and held its’ second ID2EA event on January 28. Lisa Molomot, director of the documentary, “The Hill” participated in a panel discussion. “The Hill” tells the stories of homeowners in the Upper Hill neighborhood in New Haven, and looks at issues of racism, eminent domain, urban planning, and health inequities. If you haven’t had a chance to see this film yet, I urge you to do so. You can view it free of charge on Panopto with a Yale NetID.
February is Black History Month, a month long celebration of the achievements of African-Americans. Our message is, “If I made it, you can make it too.” We share this message throughout all of our work, including the month of February. We express this to those future residents who participated in our URiM recruitment dinner in late January, that they can and will succeed at Yale. We will tell the middle schoolers that we will meet through Medical Mornings. We will announce this to fellow medical students we interact with through our recruitment at HBCUs this spring and summer.
The U.S. census and AAMC data indicate that the percentage of active Black or African-American physicians is 2.5 fold lower than would be predicted. These numbers inform our work on diversity in medicine, and led to a multipronged strategy for pipeline development, outreach, recruitment, and career development of minority physicians. The new generation must recognize the value they can contribute to our healthcare system.
Thank you for all you do to make Yale a better place.
Sincerely,
Inginia Genao, MD, FACP
Associate Chair, Diversity & Inclusion