Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Department of Medicine and the Internal Medicine Residency Program are committed to providing an inclusive, diverse, supportive, and equitable learning environment that values all individuals through our equity curriculum and actions.  Our goal is for our residents and faculty to reflect the diverse population we serve. 

Our Actions

The Internal Medicine Residency program has pursued a number of specific DEI interventions over the past few years aimed at improving our Culture, Curriculum, Recruitment, and Support. Specific examples in each area include: 

Culture

• Dedicated bystander training of all medicine residents and core general medicine faculty 
• Implicit bias training of all Medicine Faculty and a DEI book club for core faculty (readings and discussion included, among others, How to Be an Antiracist, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, and White Fragility)
• Residency leadership involvement in formal inclusiveness leadership training, medical center Cultural Competency Committee, and Hospital Medicine Division IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy) Committee
• Beyond the Medicine Residency, the University of Rochester Medical Center leadership has enacted a broader Anti-Racism Action Plan (see below)

Curriculum

• Educational conferences dedicated to critical DEI topics (e.g., the history of redlining in Rochester) delivered at resident educational conferences and Department of Medicine Grand Rounds
• We have an ongoing content strand in our residents' Ambulatory Education sessions that addresses the social determinants of health, health disparities, and health equity
• Health disparities improvement efforts are woven into our QI curriculum, with the expectation that QI projects will drill down to assess outcomes across different at-risk populations
• Multiple community outreach opportunities are available for residents

Recruitment

• The Medicine Residency is committed to recruiting a more diverse workforce to help us achieve our missions
• Holistic reviews of application and standardized interviewing have been in place for years
• 27% of our 2021-22 intern class self-identify in an URiM group
• Aggressive efforts have been underway to diversify our physician and nursing workforces within the Department of Medicine and the Medical Center as a whole

Support

• The Medicine Residency and the Department of Medicine are committed to being a safe space and creating a safe and inclusive environment for all residents all of the time
• The Association of Minority Residents and Fellows (AMRF) at the University of Rochester Medical Center is a wonderful resource and community for under-represented residents.  We continue to sponsor monthly meetings of this organization and provide coverage for our residents who want to attend the meetings

Additional Resources

• Medical Center for Office for Equity and Inclusion
• University of Rochester Office of Equity and Inclusion
• LGBTQI+ at Rochester
• Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education, and Diversity (CACHED)
• Connections to professional organizations
• Visiting Clerkship Program
• Association of Minority Residents & Fellows (AMRF)