The Committee to Promote Diversity’s mission is to increase minority representation in the Department of Medicine and to promote diversity in the hospital community by 1) helping recruit the most qualified medical students from under-represented minority groups to our residency program, 2) strengthening the ties between medical students, housestaff and faculty in the hospital community, 3) promoting retention of qualified minority medical students, residents, fellows and faculty, and 4) strengthening the Department’s ties with the community of Philadelphia.
In order to attract highly qualified minority medical students, we:
- Attend the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) and Boricua-Latino Health Organization (BLHO) local and national conferences.
- Establish a Visiting Clerkship for 4th year minority medical students seeking away-rotations at HUP that includes mentoring by our faculty and housestaff, as well as providing housing and transportation during their stay.
- Organize open houses and other social activities for medical students from schools in our region.
- Coordinate recruitment events and activities with other residency programs in the hospital.
To foster a sense of unity among the minority housestaff, medical students and faculty in our Hospital Community, we have:
- eEtablished a mentoring program between housestaff and faculty, as well as medical students and faculty/housestaff.
- Organized periodic informal social events and happy hours for faculty, housestaff and medical students.
- Attended events organized by the medical school’s Office for Diversity (e.g. info sessions, Get-Acquainted Dinner for newly-admitted medical students, the Helen O. Dickens dinner).
- Coordinated social events with minority housestaff in the other residency programs at HUP.
We are excited about further enriching our Department by increasing diversity. If you have questions about any of our initiatives, please contact us.
Akaya Smith, M.D.
Chair, Committee to Promote Diversity
E-Mail: Akaya.Smith@uphs.upenn.edu