Community & Alumni Integration
These efforts aim to fully integrate community and alumni voices within the planning and development of initiatives to create a more inclusive health sciences learning and work environment. Increased attention will be placed on unpacking the implications of inequities, race and racism on the health outcomes of the communities served.
Faculty Engagement & Development
These efforts engage health sciences faculty in professional development that seeks to revise and reimagine curricula through the lens of health equity, intersectional identities, and anti-racist pedagogy; create intentional spaces that foster a sense of belonging for and amplify the work of faculty of color; develop a clinical faculty research cluster that investigates the impacts of race and racism on patient outcomes; and, implement recruitment best practices with the goal of increasing the recruitment and retention of URM faculty in health sciences.
Inclusion Council
Providing an overarching “coordinating structure” for maintaining ongoing synergy and for incorporating emerging voices and perspectives.
Residents, Fellows, & Post Docs Engagement
These efforts aim to fully integrate and engage Residents, Fellows, and Post-Doctoral Fellows voices within the planning and development of initiatives to create a more inclusive health sciences learning and work environment. Increased attention will be placed on increasing recruitment and retention of URM Residents, Fellows, and Post-Doctoral Fellows in health sciences.
Staff Engagement
The VCU Human Resources Professionals Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Work Group (HRP Workgroup) is leading efforts to fully integrate and engage staff within the planning and development of initiatives that promote the understanding of diversity, inclusion, and equity across all schools/units. Increased attention will be placed on removing barriers and obstacles, promoting inclusive practices, and facilitating community connections.
The Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences will ensure ongoing collaboration and partnership with the HRP Workgroup to identify programs and initiatives that speak uniquely to the needs of staff in health sciences schools and Massey Cancer Center.
Student Engagement
The SCIE Commission is an inter-professional student commission designed to address cross-campus needs and demands concerning diversity policies. This group is established to encourage cohesion and an exchange of experiences, practices, and policies between programs. Members of the commission will meet once monthly to provide a space of constant discussion of social action items to include, but not limited to: anti-racist policies and the Black Lives Matter movement, curriculum and co-curricular opportunities for health equity education, LGBTQIA+ initiatives, student accessibility, student/faculty engagement, etc. Periodically, campus administration and senior leadership will be invited to listen in on these discussions to maintain partnership within the programs and create consistent dialogue with student leaders surrounding these needs.