September is the month during which Frederick Douglass began his escape from slavery. On September 3, 1818, he boarded a train in Baltimore dressed as a sailor. He eventually made his way to New York City. He became a prominent abolitionist movement leader and strongly supported women’s suffrage.
Outreach and Recruitment
September is always a busy month for graduate medical education recruitment activities. On September 7, Yale School of Medicine (YSM) and Yale New Haven Hospital’s (YNHH) graduate medical education (GME) office sent a ten-person delegation to the Meharry Medical College career fair to showcase our inclusive culture and many excellent residency training opportunities. On September 11, we will hold our third virtual Yale Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) recruitment event. Our faculty and residents will meet students from the following HBCU medical schools: Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, and Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. Our YSM and YNHH 27-person delegation will be exhibiting residency training opportunities at the Latino Medical Student Association national conference in Los Angeles from September 20-22. I want to thank Cat Gomez-Stafford from the GME office, who organized our participation in all the above recruitment events.
Additionally, I would like to thank all the residents and faculty who proudly represented us at all the events.
Retention
Our Minority House Staff Organization members are excited to join the Minority Organization for Retention and Expansion Annual Welcome Event on September 15. We hope to begin many mentorship relationships at the event.
Upcoming Talks
Don’t miss our next Equity Begins with Everyone (EBE) gathering on Monday, September 16 at noon in Fitkin Auditorium and on Zoom. We highly encourage in-person attendance. Our faculty speaker is Stephen Huot, MD, PhD, and our staff speaker is Stacy Downer. We will continue our theme of sourcing food from different parts of the world.
The Belonging at Yale initiative celebrates Latinx Heritage Month in September. For information on the month’s activities, visit their website.
Below are the secular and religious events during September:
- September 11: Patriot Day
- September 15: Mawlid al-Nabi
- September 20: HeForShe
- September 21: International Day of Peace
- September 21 – 29: Mabon
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