The SSOM Office of Diversity and Inclusion plays a key role in directing efforts to enhance the diversity of the Sanford School of Medicine. We promote a welcoming and inclusive environment for our students, faculty, and staff. We do this through a variety of direct programming, formulating and carrying out strategic plans, and by serving as a resource for consultation and support of the students, faculty, and staff. We work collaboratively with USD departments to promote inclusive excellence across campus.

DenYelle Baete Kenyon, PhD Associate Dean Diversity and Inclusion Program Director, MPH

Donis D. Drappeau, MPAS (Ihanktonwan Nakota) Diversity Pipeline Coordinator

Damon P. Leader Charge (Sicangu Oglala Lakota) Director of Tribal Relations Asst. Program Coordinator

INMED

Ethan Paddock was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society June 5, 2020, which recognizes outstanding humanistic qualities including compassion, altruism, integrity, empathy, and service. Ethan, a member of the Navajo Nation from Flagstaff, AZ, has been an INMED student since 2017 when he came to the USD SSOM to attend medical school. His specialty interest is in surgery and hobbies include guitar, puzzles, video games, running, and hiking. Congratulations Ethan!

In September, Meredith Keith (Zuya Toka He Win) was awarded 2019 Avera Health American Indian Scholarship. Meredith is from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and grew up in Eagle Butte, SD. Her specialty interests are Family Medicine or Emergency Medicine. The Avera Health American Indian Health Scholarship Fund provides education opportunities for American Indian medical students.

Native American Healthcare Scholars Program

The Native American Healthcare Scholars Program (NAHSP) had its’ third cohort graduate from high school May 2020. Eight seniors graduate from the Pine Ridge High School and the Red Cloud Indian School. They will continue their post-secondary education at various institutions including Ft. Lewis College, Georgetown University, Black Hills State University, University of Minnesota-Morris, Western Dakota Tech, Augustana University, and Bridgewater University. Congratulations Class of 2020! NAHSP Community Service Project The NAHSP supports scholars complete community service projects in their last year of the program. Cante’ Skuya Stover chose to focus her community service project on providing flee/tick collars to dogs in her community. Her academic goal is to go to Veterinary School and return to Pine Ridge and practice there. She is one of the 2020 NAHSP graduates and will attend Augustana University in the fall to major in Biology.

Outreach/Trainings Postponed The SSOM Office of Diversity & Inclusion outreach planned for Spring and Summer 2020 was cancelled/rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This included the March Pine Ridge Scrubs Camp, the April NAHSP Spring Visit, and June USD Health Careers Summer Camp, and He Sapa Health Careers Summer Camp. Activities will be scheduled for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year, and informational materials are being placed online. Visits to the high schools in the Sioux Falls and Vermillion school districts will also be done depending on what the academic year will allow, online/virtual versus face-to-face.

June Diversity

Pride Month June is an annual time to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride in a number of different ways. Across the globe, various events are held during this special month as a way of recognizing the rights of the LGBTQ2+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Two-Spirit) community and the influence LGBT people have had around the world. Recently, the US Supreme Court ruled to protect LGBT people from job discrimination .

The SSOM Diversity Dialogues have hosted a variety of speakers related to LGBT medical care. Feel free to check them out through USD: Right: Susan, Director of the Transformation Project Presents at the August 2019 Diversity Dialogue Session Rolling Out the Rainbow Carpet Healthcare Hospitality for the GLBTQ Community by Paul Chlebeck Endocrine Care of Transgender Individuals by Dr. Keith Hansen Gender Loving Care by Dr. Anne Dilenschneider LGBTQ Adolescent Health by Michaela Seiber Understanding the Needs of Your Young Transgender Patients by Susan Bill, Executive Director of Transformation Projects

Juneteenth Juneteenth, a combination of June and Nineteenth, is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. and is observed on June 19, 2020. SD is only one of three states that do not formally recognize Juneteenth. On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be free. This date in June is celebrated because word only finally reached Texas almost 2 and a half years later on June 19, 1865.