India is currently experiencing the world's worst COVID-19 outbreak. We know our Indian and Indian diaspora communities are hurting. The JEDI Office would like to share fundraisers for those who are able to donate. Mission Oxygen is providing vital COVID support in India and Direct Relief is working in a range of COVID-19 hotspots, including South Asia and Brazil.

On April 15, eight people were killed at a FedEx distribution center whose employees are majority Sikh. This is part of a long history of racial hatred and xenophobia in the United States. We invite you to learn more.

Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that would introduce voting restrictions in the state. Learn more about the bill.

¡Hola! Join Alejandra Luna and Angela Cruz for a Latinx/e meet and greet event on Thursday, June 3, 6:00–7:00 p.m. on Zoom. Please RSVP. This will be a fun opportunity to connect with other Latine/Latinx individuals from the IHP. All are welcome! Email Alejandra Luna or Angela Cruz if you have any questions.

The Making of Asian America Book Club Discussion – TBD

Join members of JEDI Fellows and MEDS for our Asian and Asian American Book Club, starting the week of May 24! This event is open to everyone in the IHP community. We will be discussing chapters one through six of Erika Lee's The Making of Asian America. Individuals are welcome to read ahead. A registration link with a specific date and time will be sent in the IHP News during the week of May 17. If you would like a subsidy to help cover a portion of the book's cost, please fill out the form.

We're excited for another iteration of Power, Privilege, and Positionality: What is the IHP's Role in Health Care? on Wednesday, June 2, 2:00–3:30 p.m. This year's theme will focus on the intersection of disability, race, and health. The June 2 panel will feature Sandy Ho, a community organizer and research associate with the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis, and Finn Gardiner, a disability rights advocate and communications specialist at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy. The panel will be moderated by JEDI Fellow Richard Monari. Join us on Zoom.

Kay Martinez, director of DEI training, education, and development at Lesley University, will present a workshop on white supremacy culture on Friday, June 11, 10:00–11:30 a.m. Stay tuned for more details.

We are grieving the loss of Jahaira DeAlto, an activist and founding member of Trans Resistance MA. From Trans Resistance MA's social media channels:

"Yesterday we lost an esteemed trans activist, ballroom mother and founding organizer of Trans Resistance, Jahaira DeAlto. We are grieving and we are not okay. Trans Lives Matter and Jahaira should still be here. Jahaira worked as a trans community organizer for decades helping to start Trans Day of Remembrance, member of the House of Balenciga and working as a domestic violence advocate. Her murder is the 17th reported trans killing this year, putting 2021 on track to be the deadliest on record for trans Americans - again! Help us honor Jahaira’s legacy by donating to the Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts today.

See you June 12 at Franklin Park for the 2nd annual Trans Resistance March, Vigil and Pride fest where we will march in Jahaira's memory to end transphobia and uplift our 'magical TQBIPOC community' as she said." View more details about the June 12 event.

The JEDI Office is hiring for Fellows to consult with the Departments of Occupational Therapy, Genetic Counseling, Physician Assistant Studies, Physical Therapy. Learn more and apply. Contact Lindsey Lo if you have any questions

We're also hiring for an Associate Director, Social Justice Education and Student Engagement. Check out the job description.

Dr. Callie Watkins Liu, Associate Director of JEDI Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Faculty Support, authored "Breaking Black Fatigue & Advancing a Freedom Dream" in Medium about how she is dedicating herself to breaking Black fatigue, “a visceral uncertainty about life,“ for herself and members of the Black community.

Dr. Callie Watkins Liu, Associate Director of JEDI Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Faculty Support, was on the panel "Tackling Racial Equity" on April 27. The panel featured Harvard's Class of 2005 experts on racial equity. They discussed their experiences and the way forward toward greater equity.

Dr. Josephine Kim, a lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Takeo Rivera, an assistant professor of English and women's, gender, and sexuality studies at Boston University, provided powerful historical and structural context for the Atlanta tragedy on April 2. The event has left a meaningful imprint on over 250 participants from across the Mass General Brigham system and the Greater Boston community. One participant mentioned, “this event really moved me because I have never been in a space centered around Asian American history and experiences. I finally felt validated in my emotions regarding the Atlanta tragedy.” And among many vital takeaways, another person noted the importance of “solidarity through liberation and centering communities on the margins...” View the recording.

Students and faculty members in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders are working with local high school students and alumni on new initiatives:

The BSU Leading for Change Consortium is a collaboration of higher education institutions in Massachusetts and New England committed to identifying student and employee diversity best practices through uniform and transparent use of data, institutional benchmarks, and reflective practice. The IHP group met on April 8 to discuss what an institution should look like when thinking of equity and justice, and developed recommendations on where to focus. This semester the group is reading Whiteness in Higher Education: The Invisible Missing Link in Diversity and Racial Analyses.

The JEDI Council met on April 5 to discuss posters, learn more about Mass General Brigham's United Against Racism initiative, and heard from the Student Voices, Power, Privilege, and Positionality, and BSU Leading for Change committees. The March 1 meeting minutes were approved. Please reach out to your JEDI Council representative or the JEDI Office if you have additional questions.

Mass General Brigham's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office shared their second annual edition of the Check-up on DE&I Report. The theme of this year’s report is Equity in a Time of Crisis. The report shares four stories that highlight different areas of work from across the system this past year. They tell the stories of our employees’ resilience, tenacity, and dedication to strive for justice and equity no matter what.

Dr. Rawan AlHeresh, an associate professor of occupational therapy, is the recipient of the Department of Occupational Therapy's Faculty Award for Excellence! This award honors a full-time OT faculty member who is dedicated to enhancing the experience of occupational therapy students; demonstrates exceptional commitment to students through teaching, advising, and mentoring; and supports student endeavors both inside and outside of the classroom. Congrats Dr. AlHeresh!

Gayun Chan-Smutko (right), an associate professor and associate program director of the genetic counseling program, received the Outstanding Faculty Award at the Department of Genetic Counseling's Academic Awards Program on April 29. This award honors a distinguished instructor who demonstrates excellence in teaching and supporting the education, growth, and development of genetic counseling students. Professor Chan-Smutko is also a member of the JEDI Council, PPP Planning Committee, and the IHP's BSU Leading for Change team. Congrats, Professor Chan-Smutko!

The JEDI Office would also like to congratulate previous PPP facilitators Alyx Vogle, recipient of the Student Excellence in Leadership Award, and Joselyn Saenz, a recipient of the Student Excellence in Service Award. Congrats!

Dr. Eleonor Pusey-Reid, distinguished teaching assistant professor in the School of Nursing, is the recipient of the 2021 Women of COLOR STEM Achievement Award in the category of Excellence in STEM Education. This award recognizes an educator who exemplifies inclusion and innovation in their teaching strategy to create positive student learning outcomes.

The IHP Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) Chapter and the SGA Community Outreach Committee, with support from the Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, held the 1st Annual Mentorship Award Ceremony to celebrate the inaugural iteration of the IHP Mentorship Program for Underrepresented Groups in Healthcare. Over the past year, 35 IHP students and alumni mentored undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students from around the country who are interested in pursuing healthcare careers.

Congratulations to the recipient of the Outstanding Mentor Award, Albert Aba class of 2021! Thank you to Albert for going above and beyond his responsibilities as a mentor to provide an invaluable experience to a future nurse practitioner. Miguel Luna, his mentee, wrote a “Through his kind words and constant, but very necessary, nudges, I was and am able to complete the goals set in place by both of us. He deserves this award because he doesn't just hear what I have to say, but he listens. He has a solid understanding of what my career goals are and when things in his everyday life come up that pertain to me and my goals, he shares it with me. Through his selfless acts, he gave me the opportunity to shadow him to see what it would be like to be a nurse in the field. This experience helped me better understand the role I may take on in my future and has given me a greater drive to become a nurse.” Co-founders of the program, JP Bonadonna and Alejandra Luna, are now in the process of planning next year’s program. If you know undergraduate or post-bacc students interested in pursuing a graduate program offered at the IHP, please direct them to the Mentee Survey.

The Office of Student and Alumni Services held their annual Student Leadership Awards Ceremony virtually on April 6. JEDI Fellows Alejandra Luna and Richard Monari received the Outstanding Student Leader of the Year award; Allison Tokar received the Emerging Leader award; the JEDI Fellows and Minorities Engaged in Dialogue and Service (MEDS) received the Be the Change award; the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) and the Student Government Association (SGA) Community Outreach Committee received the Innovative Spirit award; the Student Occupational Therapy Association received the Outstanding IMPACT award; Dr. Emily Eddy, advisor of the Student Occupational Therapy Association, and Dr. Kaveri Roy, advisor for Students for Equity and Anti-Racism, received the Student Organization Advisor of the Year award. Congrats everyone!

The JEDI Office would like to thank Richard Monari, JEDI Fellow in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Rosa Ortega, JEDI Fellow in the Department of Genetic Counseling, Alejandra Luna, JEDI Fellow in the Department of Physical Therapy, Bella Coyne, JEDI Fellow in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies, and Annika Chan, JEDI Fellow in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Dean's Office, for their service. Congrats to Richard and Rosa who will be graduating this summer! Alejandra, Bella, and Annika will be moving on to full-time clinical placements. Thank you for all that you've done!

The JEDI Office would like to thank Jennifer Rodriguez and Sherlene Austin for serving on the JEDI Council as representatives from Staff Council. JEDI Staff Council representatives are elected to serve for two years.

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Check out the following virtual events to learn about and celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the U.S.:

County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) and Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) programs of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute will present the webinar Declaring Racism as a Public Health Crisis" on Tuesday, May 18 at 3:00 p.m. Learn more and register.

Learn how mindfulness and compassion practices can support patient care, personal well-being, and an inclusive healthcare system at "Mindfulness for Healthcare" on May 20 through May 23. Sessions include "Mindful Anti-Racism: Healing Healers and Health Disparities and "Self-Compassion as a Way to Reduce Burnout." Learn more and register.

We are learning about the history of medical racism, which can be traced back to 1793 during an epidemic that hit Philidelphia especially hard in the article Medical racism has shaped U.S. policies for centuries by Deirdre Cooper Owens published in the Washington Post.

The National Coalition for LGBT Health held National LGBT Health Awareness week in March. The webinars "The Making of Stanford's 'Teaching LGBTQ+ Health' Course: Training a New Generation of Affirming Health Providers and Educators" and PrEP Access, Update and Continued Community Challenges" are available to watch on-demand. Learn more.

Check out these resources on wellbeing, coping, and talking to kids about tragedies. To speak confidentially with a Student and Employee Assistance Program counselor, please call (866) 724-4327.

The Higher Education Recruitment Consortium held the webinar "Do Faculty Diversity Programs Work?: Evidence from 600 Universities Over 20 years by Dr. Frank Dobbin, Harvard University" on April 21. The discussion was facilitated by Amanda Shaffer of Shaffer Consulting. Watch the recording.