Medical School Dean's Lecture Series - Past Lectures

Presenter: Jill Foster, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean of DEI Pipelines, Division Director for Pediatric Infectious Diseases 

Dr. Foster has been at the UMN-Twin Cities for two years focusing her efforts on development of pipelines for those who are underrepresented in medicine and COVID-related issues, especially in the area of vaccine hesitancy. Prior to coming to Minnesota, she was at Drexel University College of Medicine as the Director of the Dorothy Mann Center for Pediatric and Adolescent HIV and in medical education, as well as taking an interval five-year detour from academic medicine into an industry sponsored philanthropic public health initiative around bloodborne viral diseases. 

About the presentation: Individual need for belonging impacts organizations most when individuals do not feel that they are members of the team. They may feel like imposters, and/or they may not feel connected to the mission. For learners and trainees this is especially important, so Dr. Foster will outline areas of potential concern and solutions to optimize team belongingness and trust.

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Presenter: Linda Barry, MD, MPH, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of the Office of Multicultural & Community Affairs at University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine and Interim Director of UConn Health Disparities Institute

Everyone is one illness or accident away from experiencing a disability that can change their life trajectory. It is a stark contrast that in academic medicine, where treating such patients is the mission, many academic institutions’ policies are often not adept in accommodating those with disabilities in work and learning environments. Dr. Barry will share a personal account of the unexpected, tumultuous journey of becoming a disabled surgeon, issues of intersectionality and challenging the status quo, and she will help identify opportunities for the academic medicine community to be more inclusive through action and policy.

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Resources:

• Session transctipt.

DEI in the Department of Pediatrics
Presenter: Catherine Bendel, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology; Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Bendel will present updates on successful DEI initiatives in the Department of Pediatrics. She will focus on priorities for making DEI everyone’s everyday work, in particular with work done by the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council. Additionally, she will describe pipeline awards and educational efforts, including Health Equity Rounds.

Building Space for Inclusive Excellence With UPRIME

Presenter: Joseph M. Metzger, PhD, Maurice B. Visscher Endowed Land-Grant Chair in Physiology; Professor and Chair, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology

Actively promoting unfettered access opportunities for all is an effective and proactive mechanism to ensure attaining the very best in merit-based achievement in academia and beyond. For under-represented groups, significant barriers can and do exist in the unrestricted access to opportunities, and the disparities that result are a driving component of predicting future success for students. Learn how the Undergraduate Physiology Research in Medicine and Education (UPRIME) program engages in a holistic approach focused on building a space for inclusive excellence where students can acquire the tools and resources they need for success.

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Resources: 

• DEI in the Department of Pediatrics Presentation
• Building Space for Inclusive Excelllence with UPRIME Presentation

Presenter: Rahel Ghebre, M.D., MPH (She/Her) Professor and Co-Vice Chair on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health, Associate Director of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the Masonic Cancer Center, Lead for Global Women’s Health Research in the Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility

Advancing our mission of gender equity is critical to the long-term success of our institution. Today less than 30% of women are ultimately promoted to full professor, an important step toward senior leadership. We will explore the experience of women faculty in the promotion process at our Medical School and discuss ongoing programs to improve retention and promotion of women faculty.

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Resources:

• Mid-Career Faculty in Academic Medicine (MCFAM) Program

Presenter: Ana Núñez, MD, FACP, Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the U of M Medical School and Integration Strategist in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) (she/her/hers)

Hear about some of the amazing work at the Medical School in diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Núñez will highlight efforts, accomplishments and opportunities for engagement.

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Presenters: Karen Diver, Senior Advisor to the President for Native American Affairs, and G.-H. Crystal Ng, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences

Tribal Nations are distinct governments that are responsible for providing for the well-being of their people, culture and lands. Too often in the past, they have been used by researchers without their consent, and had their knowledge, places and peoples exploited. This session explains tribal sovereignty, relationship building and tribally engaged and led best practices in research.

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Resources:

Presentation Slides - Research with Tribal Nations: Exploring Best Practices

Presentation Slides -  Kawe Gidaa-naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin First We Must Consider Manoomin / Psiŋ (Wild Rice)

Article: Transforming research and relationships through collaborativetribal-university partnerships on Manoomin (wild rice)

Protocol for Responsible and Accountable Research

Presenter: Dziwe Willard Ntaba, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Emergency Physician with M Health Fairview

Drawing from lessons learned in Global Health — both internationally and domestically — how can you act individually to better serve collective interests? How can we as a group adapt and apply lessons from the past to meet the challenges in the present moment? What proven strategies and paradigm shifts must we engage with to ensure durable solutions into the future? This presentation addresses those questions. 

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Resources:

Presentation Slides: Global Public Health Emergencies & Population Health

Kigutu Hospital & Women’s Health Pavilion Virtual Tour, Fe. 15th, 2022 | 12:00pm

Sign-Up to Learn more/Support Minnesota Opioid Overdose Epidemic

Presenter: Amanda Marie Flowers Peterson, Interim Director of Education & Graduate Assistant for the Office for Equity and Diversity (She/Her/Hers)

This discussion exposes participants to the concept of implicit bias and how it produces microaggressions that can impact the classroom, work and social environments.

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For those of who had hoped that our January session could be recorded, we regret that no, that was not an option for us. Below you will find some resources about microaggressions and more.

Click here to get added to the early interest list for direct follow up. 

Resources:

• What Exactly is a Microaggression? (PDF, URL)
• A Point of View: The Detrimental Impact of Microaggressions in the Workplace (Word, URL)
• How to Think about "Implicit Bias", Scientific American (PDF, URL)
• Practicing Microresistance for Personal Survival, Ally Support, and Institutional Change (Word)

Presenters: Sara Roberts, Program & Project Specialist for Undergraduate Medical Education Curriculum, and Liz Sopdie, PhD, Operations & Program Development Director for the Rural and Metropolitan Physician Associate Program

This presentation introduces the Staff Advancing Diversity and Inclusion (SADI) Committee and focuses on the unique role that staff can play in change efforts as well as highlight the growing demand for DEI efforts focused on staff within our medical school. The presentation includes several ways that staff can get involved with SADI and provide resources curated by SADI for DEI development. 

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Resources:

Presentation Slides: Staff Advancing Diversity & Inclusion: Learning, Growing, & Taking Action

https://z.umn.edu/DSLS-SADI 

https://med.umn.edu/sadi 

sadi@umn.edu

Presenter: Mary J. Owen, MD, Tlingit, director for the Center of American Indian and Minority Health, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health and president for the Association of American Indian Physicians

This presentation discusses how the educational outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) populations contribute to the significant health disparities faced by AIAN people in Minnesota and the Bemidji region as well as Minnesota programs that are addressing the educational disparities and where more work is needed.

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Resources:

Presentation Slides: Education is a Critical Determinant of Health

Presenter: David Haynes, PhD, Assistant Professor with the Institute for Health Informatics

Dr. Haynes created reliable estimates of breast cancer screening rates for Minnesota, which was used to create and direct a culturally appropriate peer-to-peer education program. This presentation shares the impact of the program and lessons learned thus far. 

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 Resources: 

 Presentation Slides: Breast Cancer Champions: Meeting You Where You Live

Presenters: Santiago Martinez Cifuentes, PhD Candidate, Rivera-Mulia Lab, and Stefani Thomas, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology

This presentation highlights the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics' ongoing efforts related to community, education, outreach, policy and recruitment.

Presenters: Aaron Corfield, DPM, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Jon Braman, MD, professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery

Drs. Corfield and Braman discuss the Department of Orthopedic Surgery's DEI Committee initiatives, including how to implement and enact real change within the department.

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 Resources: 

Presentation Slides: DEI within BMBB: Community, Education, Outreach, Policy and Recruitment

Presentation Slides: Department of Orthopedics - DEI Initiatives

Presenters: Ricardo Battaglino, PhD, Melissa Brunsvold, MD, FACS, FCCM, Austin Calhoun, PhD, Cathy McCarty, PhD, MPH, Michele Morrissey, MA, PHR, Amanda Termuhlen, MD

Restorative justice, practices and approaches are rooted in Indigenous culture and focus on creating community, building relationships and healing. The use of restorative practices in academic medicine is a valuable way to improve culture, repair harm and reintegrate those members of the community who have been separated.

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 Resources 

• Presentation Slides: Building Community/ Repairing Harm: Restorative Practices in Academic Medicine

 Presenter: Dr. Cuong Pham is an Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota.

In this presentation Cuong Pham, MD, explains how he and his colleagues have found innovative ways to conduct shared, community engaged research and focus on trainee education through multiple public health crises.

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Resources: 

• Presentation Slides: How the Pandemic(s) changed my Advocacy, Research, and DEI work
• GME DEI Advisory Work Group Meeting Agenda
• Medical Education in Color Newsletter - Volume 1, Issue 2

 Presenter: Andrea Westby, MD, FAAFP, assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

In this presentation we discuss the grounding principles, current initiatives and future direction of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health's JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) council and initiatives.

Presenter: Tim Ebner, MD, PhD, professor and head of the Department of Neuroscience

This presentation also highlights the Department of Neuroscience's efforts developing internal and federally funded programs focused on providing opportunities for underrepresented groups in medicine to explore, pursue and build careers in neuroscience.

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Resources:

• Response to Unanswered Questions - Family Medicine and Community Health & Neuroscience
• Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) website
• Organizational Framework - Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) at Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
• Recruitment Toolkit - Reducing Bias and Achieving Equity in Residency Recruitment and Selection 
• Relational and Communication Commitments - Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

Presenters:

Katie Lingras, PhD, LP, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Danielle Vrieze, PhD, LP, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Drs. Danielle Vrieze and Katie Lingras provide an overview of a six-step model for creating a committee as a vehicle for championing Medical School DEI efforts at the department level. They will provide examples of their work with the goal for participants to tailor and apply each step to their own departments’ DEI efforts. 

Presenters: 

Daniel Saltzman, MD, PhD, professor in the Department of Surgery

Lisa Rogers, MS, MPH, director of Research Operations

This presentation describes the Department of Surgery's DEI Council, provide some groundwork and resources to implement a similar model, and highlight new initiatives and early wins.

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Resources: 

• Psychiatry presentation slides & Resources 
• Surgery presentation slides & Resources

Presenter: Dimple Patel, MS Associate Dean of Admissions, Medical School

Dimple Patel shares the principles of holistic review in medical school admissions programs. She will highlight the importance of holistic review, share outcomes and discuss how these same principles can be used in other selection processes. 

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Presenter: Rahel Mardos, MD, MCR Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health (OBGYN)

Dr. Nardos will discuss the state of maternal health globally using obstetric fistula as a window into the vast inequities in maternal outcomes. She will highlight the structural and social determinants of disparities in maternal health and put forth a call to action for meaningful and impactful engagement. This lecture is part of the International Women's Day webinar series: Gender, COVID-19, and Human Rights highlighting key voices in the field of gender, health, and human rights.

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Presenter: Damien Fair, PA-C, PHD Professor, Department of Pediatrics

The field of Cognitive Neuroscience and, in particular, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience continues to evolve. New concepts and new technologies, but also new challenges and new pitfalls have emerged in the field. On one hand, these growing pains have highlighted the promise of the work for understanding complex human brain function and its translational potential; but, on the other hand, it has led to frustratingly slow progress. Current modern-day approaches toward characterizing correspondence of complex behavioral phenotypes to networks and systems in the brain requires new sample collection strategies, new study designs, and new analytic strategies – a reality the field has been slow to realize. In the current talk I will highlight some of the pitfalls of the field, as well as, feature new directions that will put the field on more solid footing moving forward.

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Presenter: Ana Núñez, MD, FACP is a Professor of General Internal Medicine and Vice Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of Minnesota

Please join us for a special edition of the Dean’s Special Lecture Series. To kick off the New Year, Vice Dean Núňez will discuss what she’s learned in the first few months of her new position and the priorities that are taking shape as she collaborates with others across the Medical School, M Health Fairview, the University and communities we serve. The session will include a presentation and Q&A.

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Presenters: The Center for Women in Medicine and Science

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Presenters: Will O'Berry, MEd and Stef Jarvi, MEd

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Presenters: Brooke Cunningham, MD, PhD and Michele Allen, MD

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Presenter: Renee Crichlow, MD

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