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East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine

Medical School

Mailing Address
1276 Gilbreath Dr.
Box 70300
Johnson City, Tennessee 37614
Phone
(423) 439-1000
Email address
info@etsu.edu
School Information
"Located in the beautiful Appalachian region, East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine is one of the nation's leading schools for rural medicine and primary care training, an honor consistently recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Quillen has also been named one of the top 10 schools in the country by the American Academy of Family Physicians for producing family physicians. Our clinical practice offers more than 40 specialties and subspecialties in medicine, surgery, women’s health, pediatrics and psychiatry. We also hold affiliations and partnerships with some of the world’s most prestigious research institutions, including St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center Network, and we have been designated as an HIV/AIDS Center of Excellence for Tennessee." The College of Medicine has a student to faculty ratio of 1 to 1 (Source: https://www.etsu.edu/com/).
General Information
The Quillen College of Medicine has made a commitment towards pursuing several DEI initiatives, such as ensuring its curriculum will reflect ideals about diversity, inclusion, bias, and privilege. The school has a Council of Diversity and Inclusion which implements the school’s diversity plan. The school is reviewing its efforts towards recruitment and retention as well. See developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • The Council of Diversity and Inclusion will “review current recruitment and retention efforts and identify opportunities to enhance diversity.”
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • The Quillen College of Medicine states, “QCOM recognizes the need for explicit engagement in the medical curriculum with aspects of identity, diversity, inclusion, and bias. We endeavor to provide specific curricular coverage for a range of societal issues that often intersect with identity and privilege.”
Resources
  • The College of Medicine has a Council of Diversity and Inclusion. Within the Council of Diversity and Inclusion, LGBTQuillen+ hosts resources for anti-racism, including “healthcare equity and anti-racism,” “Anti-Racist Toolkit,” and various books.
  • The website "Prospective Doctor" published the "East Tennessee State James H. Quillen College of Medicine Secondary Questions" for 2021-2022 medical school applicants. Question two states, "Social justice, systemic racism, and equity for all have been at the forefront of national conversations. Quillen College of Medicine recognizes that many barriers still exist for persons of color and those from historically underrepresented communities. As a physician you will have opportunities to foster an environment of change for your patients and community. Please share with us your reflections on how your life experiences have impacted the development of your values and attitudes toward others, particularly those with backgrounds or values different from your own."
  • Regarding faculty and staff development, the school states it will support programs “or faculty and staff to increase their understanding of diverse experiences in American education, healthcare, and society while also assisting faculty and staff in working to recognize and reduce their own biases related to diverse populations.”
Symbolic Actions
  • ETSU’s College of Medicine hosts a Council of Diversity and Inclusion. The council states, “It is the policy of the Quillen College of Medicine to make special efforts for recruitment from these groups in seeking faculty, students and staff through several stages of inclusion: seeking to broaden our search efforts for faculty and student applicants, engaging diverse individuals by learning more about features important to them in an institution, supporting them by preparing them as well as the environment they will be entering, and taking steps to remove barriers to their success.”
  • The Council of Diversity and Inclusion will engage in “assessment of the Diversity Culture and Climate at QCOM.”
  • The Council of Diversity and Inclusion will work on the “implementation and monitoring of institutional diversity plan.”
  • The Council of Diversity and Inclusion will “develop data collection tools to monitor the institutional diversity profile annually and to ensure achievement of diversity goals.”
  • The Council of Diversity and Inclusion plans to “develop and recommend initiatives, programs, policies and practices to promote diversity among students, residents, faculty, and administration.”
  • On June 11, 2020, the University's News section announced that East Tennessee State University Health will host 'White Coats for Black Lives,' a solidarity march and demonstration against racial injustice, on Monday, June 15." The article continued by stating that "Organizers hope that the march will promote conversations about racism as a public health concern and encourage health care professionals and students to lead the way for social change."
  • On March 8, 2023, a press release was issued stating that the school of medicine responded to the Do No Harm report which works towards “exposing the infiltration of woke ideologies in Tennessee medical schools.” The College of Medicine stated that DEI ideologies “have been repeatedly proven to improve outcomes for our patients and make us better doctors” and reaffirmed the school’s commitment towards promoting DEI principles.
  • The Quillen College of Medicine’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Resident Education program states that it values and promotes diversity.
Last updated July 25th, 2023
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