Director's Corner

Learning About Inequity the Very Hard Way

By Adina Kalet, MD, MPH

This issue of the Transformational Times is dedicated to MCW’s first annual Summit on Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment, held on April 28, 2022, co-sponsored by the MCW Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion and the Kern Institute. The Summit was attended by 138 students, staff, and faculty. In this week’s Director’s Corner, Dr. Kalet, who has extensive experience conducting remediation, tells a story of what she learned about inequity by working with Black medical students who were struggling academically …

Racism at any level can create external barriers to achievement and shape interpersonal interactions.

-Elizabeth Brondolo and Kristy-Lee Jean-Pierre

The year is 2010. Francis* has a very impressive track record. Valedictorian of his high school class, he has accumulated awards for academic merit, community service, and as a soloist with his church’s choir. He was an honors student at a historically black college near his hometown where he was also an intramural collegiate athlete and recognized for his leadership in coaching a local youth robotics team to the state national competition. While not accepted into medical school on his first attempt, he retook the MCATs and was accepted the following year, choosing to attend a school far from home because the financial package offered made it possible. 

Perspective/Opinion

Advancing Equity in Research Education

By Jessica Olson, PhD, MPH and Lishu He

In April of 2022, leaders, learners, and supporters of MCW’s Graduate School met to share resources and ideas to advance equity in research education and explore opportunities for collaboration…

As part of the MCW Summit on Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment, a panel of faculty and student leaders met to share current efforts to improve equity and inclusion in the MCW Graduate School. Dr. Sandra Pfister discussed the value of holistic admissions review, emphasizing that test scores do not predict performance of all students, underpredict the success of underrepresented students and women, and show evidence of bias against international and older students. Dr. Pfister discussed efforts within the Graduate School, where recently a committee made up of faculty, students and staff developed a white paper on Holistic Principals for Admission to MCW Graduate School. This committee established six principles for success in holistic review:

Perspective/Opinion

Health Equity in the Current MCW Pharmacy School Curriculum

By Kajua Lor, PharmD, BCACP and Abir T. El-Alfy, PhD, MS, BPharm

Cultural sensitivity has been one of the 25 accreditation standards within pharmacy schools across the nation. When the MCW School of Pharmacy curriculum was developed, “Cultural Sensitivity” was created as a curricular thread and tracked across the curriculum. Drs. Lor and El-Alfy describe the MCW School of Pharmacy process …

With the recent events during the pandemic, equity, diversity, and inclusion have risen as greater priorities in pharmacy education. An additional statement was added to the Oath of a Pharmacist which states “I will promote inclusion, embrace diversity, and advocate for justice to advance health equity.” The Revised Oath of a Pharmacist was adopted in November 2021 and highlighted the importance of health equity in pharmacy education and the pharmacy profession.

Perspective/Opinion

Equity in Education: Summary of the Curriculum Track Discussions

By Kennedy D. Key

In this essay, Kennedy Key describes the presentations and conversations during the Curriculum Track of the “Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment” Symposium …

Equality aims to provide every person with the same resources, regardless of barrier or previous circumstance. Justice is the act of removing those barriers all together and fixing a system that inherently favors those with access to adequate tools and resources. Justice will always be the goal, but equity recognizes that each person has barriers they must face and aims to equip each person with the specific tools they need so that everyone reaches the same, equal outcome. Equity must be more than a fantastical goal to strive for; there must be measures in place that make equity tangible for everyone.

Perspective/Opinion

Words Matter! Mitigating Bias through Equitable Assessments in Clerkship Evaluations, Diversity in Classroom Clinical Cases, and Equitable Remediation in Medical Education

By Angel Li, Patrick Carter and Julia Schmitt

This essay reviews the key takeaways from the three presentations during the Equitable Assessment and Mitigating Bias Track:

·     Mitigating Implicit Bias in the Classroom

·     Mitigating Implicit Bias in Clerkship Evaluations

·     Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment: Remediation in Medical Education

On April 28, 2022, over 120 MCW community members including students, trainees, staff, and faculty came together for the first “Advancing Equity in the Learning Environment Summit.” Co-hosted by the Kern Institute and Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity, the event offered participants four specialized breakout tracks, including one on Equitable Assessment and Mitigating Bias facilitated by student doctor Angel Li, Patrick Carter from the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity, and Julia Schmitt of the Kern Institute.