Penn State College of Medicine

Penn State College of Medicine "supports the goals outlined in the White Coats initiative and is therefore striving to increase the diversity of all of its student populations to reflect national demographics." According to the college, "White Coats for Black Lives, challenged medical colleges to enroll medical school classes with 31 percent under-represented populations: Hispanic/Latino, African American and Native American."

Regarding the college's Neuroscience PhD Program, the college states, "To increase access to our program for all students, especially from underserved communities, we removed GRE requirements for application to our program in 2019."

The college utilizes the "Inclusion Academy," which is a "comprehensive set of workshops on different aspects of diversity that are designed to increase the cultural knowledge base of our care providers and prospective care providers (students and residents), as well as the workforce in general."

The college's "Faculty Organization" has a "Committee on Undergraduate Medical Education" that is "responsible for all matters that pertain to the undergraduate medical education program for the students of the College of Medicine." The organization has made several recommendations including the following: "Provide ongoing diversity training for all faculty, those with responsibility for the development of learners (students with teaching roles, residents), as well as those who participate in any learning environment."

The college's "Faculty Organization" has a "Committee on Undergraduate Medical Education" that is "responsible for all matters that pertain to the undergraduate medical education program for the students of the College of Medicine." The organization has made several recommendations including: "Provide dedicated support to a faculty member to lead the effort to embed diversity, equity and inclusion across the medical school curriculum," "Analyze all curricular materials for representation of a diverse population, avoidance of stereotypes and how demographic-based risk factors are taught," and "Continue efforts to include a broader range of diversity within the standardized patient program."

Following the summer 2020 protests in response to the death of George Floyd, the college's Department of Humanities has rededicated itself to "antiracist teaching and research." The Department also states the following: "The humanities offer rich disciplinary perspectives on the history of racial injustice in the United States, ongoing discriminatory practices faced by people of color in health care and the joyful and painful artistic expressions of exploited peoples. Together, we commit to challenging racist structures in medicine and society."

The college's Department of Humanities is "addressing race and social justice within medicine and biomedical research and seeks to transform care practices, pedagogy and institutional norms with humanistic perspectives on illness, medicine and health in the 21st century."

The college outlines its Physician Assistant (PA) Program Competencies for graduates which include the following: "Develop an understanding of cultural practices, socioeconomic, environmental, behavioral, and other social determinants that affect the health of individuals in the community"; "Describe the role of structural disparities in illness and propose solutions to address barriers of care, such as health disparities"; "Graduates will be able to practice medicine in a beneficent manner, recognizing and adhering to standards of care while attuned to advancing social justice."

The college describes its Neuroscience PhD Program curriculum in part by stating that the college "provides an inclusive and supportive environment that promotes not only research and learning, but to also enhance social justice in our communities."

The college's Hershey Curriculum includes a course (for first-year students) titled "Foundations of Health Humanities," which "focuses on issues of pressing social interest, including structural inequities like racism in medicine, justice and unconscious bias."

The college outlines its steps for reporting incidents of bias and states, "Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine do not tolerate nor support any biased, discriminatory or hateful statements, behaviors or interactions toward any individual or group based on their aspect of diversity."

The college defines culturally responsive health care education as "the process of learning to provide excellent health care to patients from diverse populations." The Office for Culturally Responsive Health Care Education at PSCM "oversees the implementation of this vision across the College of Medicine" and "serves course directors, educators and learners across the College of Medicine by helping to develop or enhance culturally responsive content and practices."

The college's Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences works closely with the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to "continually educate ourselves, enhance our departmental culture of inclusion and be leaders in social justice issues in our broader community."

The college's Jewish Union of Medical Professionals "invites all Jewish medical students to engage with other medical professionals in the pursuit of Jewish learning, social justice and advocacy."