Greetings,
The JEDI Office has been working on a few standalone programs to build community, including our ERG meetings and race-based student spaces.
On November 8th, we will celebrate First-Gen Day. For anyone who identifies as First-Gen, please complete this Formstack. We want to hear about your experiences to highlight your experiences navigating higher education! We will also have a community event on November 8th. Being first-gen is a salient identity for me as it is the reason I sought a career in higher education – to help other students like myself to navigate to and through higher education. I have told this story many times before, but while I was prepared academically to attend college, I was not prepared for the culture shift. I went from a diverse high school and community setting (Somerville) where I had support to a predominantly, White and affluent campus where I did not know the resources or support that were available to me when I got there. I wrote about the challenges I encountered in a book chapter. Eventually, I was able to support and provide mentorship at my undergraduate institution and later pursued a master’s and doctoral degree. We hope that the November 8th program will allow faculty, administrators, and students to connect, build community and support, and celebrate our successes together.
Dr. Adrienne Keene, who spoke with us at the IHP a couple of years ago about her research on Indigenous students and access to higher education published a book titled 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present. We ordered a copy for the JEDI Office as a resource for folks who are interested in learning more. We will also be offering two copies to IHP community members in an opportunity drawing. Please email jedi@mghihp.edu by November 9th at 5pm to enter the drawing. Include "Native American Heritage Month Opportunity Drawing."
Highlights in October for me have been the JEDI Council meeting where we discussed ways to disseminate our conversations more widely to the IHP community, the beginnings of piloting an implicit bias conversation with search committees, and watching the AERA Brown lecture this year, delivered by a previous Baugh Visiting Faculty, Dr. Lori Patton. In October, I facilitated a microaggressions workshop with the Executive Council as well as residents at Spaulding.
In community,
Kimberly Truong, PhD
Chief Equity Officer
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- Upcoming Events
- JEDI Updates
- JEDI Initiatives and Opportunities
- November Holidays
- Continued JEDI Learning
- Resource Sharing
- Shout Outs
- Community Events
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First-Gen Day – November 8
If you identify as a first-generation college student, please join us for a virtual lunch on Monday, November 8 from Noon–1:00 p.m. We will be providing gift cards to Style Cafe. Additionally, please fill out this form to let us know more about your first-gen experiences and dietary restrictions. |
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Intro to Restorative Justice Workshop – November 10
Join Jammy Torres-Millet, MSW, as she introduces the community to the history of Restorative Justice in the U.S. and an overview of its implementation in higher education on Wednesday, November 10, 1:00–2:30 p.m. Restorative Justice is a philosophy and a social movement rooted in Indigenous rituals, traditions, and worldviews, that remind us of who we are and how we once viewed harm. Restorative Justice sees harm and wrongdoing as a breakdown of relationships and consequently, it allows us to honor our inherent interconnectedness and dignify the interrelatedness of all life by honoring the humanity in all people impacted by original harms. It looks to break cycles of trauma and historical harms by healing the damage done to relationships in the face of crime or other wrongdoing. Restorative Justice and its practices have been embedded into the fabric of many institutions in the U.S. including criminal justice, healthcare, and educational institutions. This workshop is only open to members of the IHP community. Register.
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SRJH Book Club – November 19
Students for Racial Justice in Healthcare has an ongoing book club, and their next book club discussion will be on Friday, November 19, 6:00–7:00 p.m. EST via Zoom. They are reading Just Medicine by Dayna Bowen Matthew and will be discussing chapters 7 and 8. |
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MEDS Dialogue Space – November 22
Minorities Engaged in Dialogue & Service (MEDS) will host a dialogue space on Monday, November 22, Noon–1:00 p.m. in Shouse 305. MEDS is committed to establishing and strengthening relationships between People of Color at the IHP. MEDS provides a space for community building via dialogue, networking, and service. Food and drinks will be provided! Come learn more about MEDS and build community! Register.
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AAPI Health Disparities Webinar Recording Now Available
On October 14, Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, director of the MGH Disparities Solutions Center and administrative director of the Mongan Institute and Dr. Elisa Choi, MD, FACP, FIDSA, chair emeritus of the Massachusetts Asian American Commission and Massachusetts Governor of the American College of Physicians discussed Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) health disparities at Mass General and beyond. This panel was moderated by Dr. Kaveri Roy, DNP, RN, CHPN, an assistant professor of nursing. This webinar series is co-sponsored by Mass General Brigham Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the JEDI Office. Watch the recording.
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Congratulations IHP!
The IHP was recognized by Insight into Diversity magazine for demonstrating an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion for the fifth consecutive year. Read more.
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JEDI Council Update
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PPP. The JEDI team is currently recruiting for facilitators and participants for the January 12 PPP. PPP participation will be shared with the Executive and JEDI councils. They also discussed ways to track participation.
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Communications. In order to facilitate communication, the JEDI team will provide JEDI Council members with a bulleted list of information to share widely after council meetings.
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Wellness. In July and August, members of the JEDI team met with Human Resources, the Employee Assistance Program, and the Mass General Brigham DE&I Office to discuss wellness and will continue to have conversations to support BIPOC students, faculty, and staff.
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Admissions Questions. JEDI Council also discussed the JEDI-related admissions questions, recommendations to strengthen them and a subcommittee to discuss it. The JEDI team is looking for volunteers to work on recommendations and collaborate with the Office of Enrollment Services.
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JEDI Curriculum and Pedagogy Community of Practice. The JEDI Curriculum and Pedagogy Community of Practice was launched in September. Members attended two workshops through the Racial Equity and Justice Institute (REJI). Members would like to share best practices with other IHP faculty members in the future. This group will meet regularly throughout the year.
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REJI Recommendations. The REJI subcommittee provided President Paula Milone-Nuzzo with recommendations in July. The JEDI Office is currently working on the implementation of these recommendations as well as recommendations from June 2020.
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JEDI Core Competencies
The JEDI Office has been working on a list of JEDI core competencies for the IHP. We are currently collecting feedback on the core competencies. Please take a look and share your thoughts. |
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From the Associate Director of JEDI Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Faculty Support
JEDI Content on Instructional Design D2L: The Instructional Design team, has added a “Collaborations with the JEDI Office” section to their “Resources for Teaching and Learning” D2L page. You can find our “Syllabus Audit” workshop and a workshop about “Race and Equity on Discussion Boards” on their page.
Booking consultations. You can now book 30 or 60 minute consultations directly with Dr. Watkins Liu, through this link.
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From the Associate Director of Social Justice Education and Student Engagement
Checking your breath. How is your breathing? Many times we don’t notice when our breathing is off. Is it shallow? Is it relaxed? Checking in with our breathing is like opening a window to how we're feeling at the moment. Our bodies are navigating out of the ordinary experiences right now and being aware of how we are breathing is that much more crucial. We have been talking a lot about community care recently within our department and we have discussed the interrelation between our personal journeys and the journey of the larger community. I invite you into yourself today because the relationship with ourselves sets the tone for how we engage with others and how we understand the world outside of our bodies. As anti-racist educators, we know that our bodies are holding so much right now. I hope that you create the possibility of moments to be mindful of your breathing and that you cultivate breathing practices of care. I invite you to also use this question to check-in with your friends and family, your collogues, your leaders and your students as well. It is a simple, yet deeply meanigful way to show care for one another.
I have learned recently that "intentional breathing is an anti-racist practice of care". So I share this with you because your journey is important to mine. UBUNTU. "I am because you are."
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JEDI Initiatives and Opportunities |
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Power, Privilege, and Positionality – Register To Facilitate By November 6
The next PPP will be held on Wednesday, January 12, 3:30–5:00 p.m. via Zoom. Registration is now open for both participants and facilitators. D2L for PPP will open up on December 6 and those participating will be expected to complete the online course prior to the live session on January 12. As a reminder, the IHP has an institutional goal is of 100% of faculty and staff involvement per year. This will be the last iteration of PPP focusing on the intersection of race, disability, and heath.
To give facilitators more time to prepare we are asking facilitators to sign up earlier. Please register as a facilitator by Saturday, November 6.
The deadline for participant sign-up is on Saturday, November 20. |
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Native American Heritage Month
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Diwali – Begins November 4
Diwali is the Hindu, Jain, and Sikh five-day festival of lights that celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and lightness over darkness. Learn more about Diwali. |
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Trans Day of Remembrance – November 20
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Thanksgiving – November 25
The JEDI Office would like to center Indigenous voices and share the following resources about Thanksgiving:
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National Day of Mourning – November 25
The United American Indians of New England will hold a march through Plymouth for National Day of Mourning on Thursday, November 25 at Noon. The March begins at Cole's Hill. National Day of Mourning creates true awareness of Native peoples and history. Learn more information.
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Hanukkah Begins – November 28
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the victory of the Maccabees, or Israelites, over the Greek-Syrian ruler Antiochus approximately 2,200 years ago and the miracle of one day’s worth of oil burning for 8 days in the holy temple. Hanukkah begins at sundown and ends on December 6. Learn more about Hanukkah.
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Heart Space
The JEDI office has committed to prioritizing a space we call the "Heart Space." This is a space that as an office we engage in weekly to check in with each other in a manner that centers our humanity. We have done much work over the last 2 months to figure out how to make this space one that is accessible to each member of the team and that it lends itself to the capacity that we each have to engage in this kind of space. We recognized that we are all in different places at different times but that did not mean that we could not connect with each other as human beings doing this work together.
We end each week with a reflection space in which we alternate between a live virtual meeting and an asynchronous reflection space, using an online platform. We have decided in these spaces we will connect about wellness, relationship-building, dialogue around issues/themes related to JEDI and other topics related to supporting the growth of our team. The space is ever-growing and we are on that journey together; we will continue sharing as we develop this space. Our goal is to be able to support all teams within the IHP create a heart space of their own; please reach out to us if you would like support around engaging in heart space with your team.
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Book Lists
The JEDI Office curated a few book lists on anti-oppression, healing and liberation, LGBTQ+ history and justice, disability justice, and JEDI and healthcare on Bookshop. |
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JEDI 101 Padlet
A Padlet has been launched with JEDI resources for students. Please use the password IHPJEDI to access this. Thank you to JEDI Fellows Annika Chan, Bella Coyne, Rosa Ortega, Alejandra Luna, and Richard Monari, Amanda Tarbet, Callie Watkins Liu, and Lindsey Lo for putting this together. While these resources are geared towards students, they are open to everyone. Our team will launch Padlets for faculty and staff over the next few months. Please let us know if you have any feedback. |
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JEDI D2L
The JEDI Fellows created a JEDI Community D2L page. Self-enroll to get all of the latest JEDI events in one place! |
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Academic Impressions: DEI 101
Academic Impressions is offering a free 10-day program to sample their suite diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) trainings. Learn more.
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Intersex Awareness Day Resources
Intersex Awareness Day was on October 26. The JEDI Office invited Sean Safia Wall, co-founder of the Intersex Justice Project, to speak in 2020. Watch the video.
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Special Circumstances Form
The Financial Aid Office is available to assist students who may be experiencing financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. The Financial Aid Committee will review each application submitted to determine if a student is eligible for funding. We encourage students who have experienced financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 crisis to apply. |
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Congrats Guy!
Gayun Chan-Smutko, MS, CGC, associate chair in the Department of Genetic Counseling, is a co-recipient of the Audrey Heimler Special Projects Award from the National Society of Genetic Counselors. The award will fund a year-long project in 2022, “Intra-Professional Anti-Racism Dialogue Series,” or IPADS, for 100 practicing genetic counselors across the U.S. This work will parallel the on-going Anti-Racism Dialogue series collaboratively headed by the team that also includes Annie Bao (Northwestern University), Amanda Bergner (Columbia University), and Janelle Villiers (Sarah Lawrence College).
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Congrats Rania!
Rania Karim, PT, DPT, GCS, an assistant professor of physical therapy, was selected to serve on the APTA Geriatrics National Senior Games Task Force. The group will work in collaboration with the National Senior Games Association to promote the needs of older adult athletes, create co-branded educational materials, recruit and train volunteers to participate in screening athletes during the National Senior Games events in 2022 and 2023, and participate in screening athletes at those events.
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Congrats Michelle!
Michelle G. Garcia was recently promoted to Senior Program Coordinator in the Department of Occupational Therapy. Michelle is the co-chair of the IHP Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Alliance. Outside of her work at the IHP, Michelle is engaged in AAPI community mental health work – delivering workshops to Asian American youth and families. Congrats on your promotion, Michelle!
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School of Nursing Study
SON Research is looking for BIPOC alumni to participate in a 90-minute focus group interview on their experiences in the classroom, clinical, and co-curricular activities while at the IHP and the challenges they face in their current practice in advancing care in a culturally diverse society. There is a $25.00 gift card for participation. Please contact Dr. Abraham Ndiwane for more information. |
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Yerby Diversity Lecture in Public Health – November 16
Dr. Joseph P. Gone, professor of anthropology and global health medicine and faculty director of the Harvard University Native American Program, will present "Challenges to Evidence-Based Practice in Indigenous Community Mental Health" on Tuesday, November 16, 1:00–2:00 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
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Indigenous Mental Health & Well-Being Over the Early Life-Course
– December 1
Melissa L. Walls, PhD, will present "Indigenous Mental Health & Well-Being Over the Early Life-Course" on Wednesday, December 1 at Noon via Zoom. No registration is required. This event is sponsored by the Harvard University Native American Program and the Harvard Medical School Department of Global Health & Social Medicine. |
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Check us out on social media! |
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Advancing Care For a Diverse Society |
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