Ponce Health Sciences University

The University states it has established and sustained "programs to recruit and retain suitably diverse students, faculty, staff, and senior administrative staff." It also "incorporates elements of diversity in planning that include gender, racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic."

The first two years of PHSU's medical curriculum "integrate longitudinal programs in Preventive and Community Medicine, Clinical Correlation (Problem-Based Learning), Geriatrics, Interprofessional Perspectives on Health Disparities, and Medical Ethics."

The University "recognizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competence as critical to health sciences education." It states that DEI is "fundamental to developing a health care workforce able to provide high quality, culturally appropriate, and congruent health care... to promote the health of the nation and the world."

PHSU's Nursing Program seeks to "improve the health of diverse populations by providing academically rigorous, evidence-based nurse education in an inter-professional environment to prepare registered nurses who demonstrate excellence in nursing practice embracing equity and culturally effective care to patients, families, and communities..."

Students graduating from PHSU's nursing program are expected to "Evaluate the implications of policy on issues of access, equity, affordability, a social justice in healthcare delivery including the health of vulnerable populations and healthcare disparities."

PHSU's Nursing Program curriculum includes a course titled "Inter-professional Perspective in Health Disparities."

PHSU's course catalog includes "Interprofessional Perspectives in Health Disparities" which is described as follows: "This course is designed to provide a general overview of gaps in health outcomes associated with health disparities. A special emphasis will be given to the social determinants of health such as race/ethnicity, social class, socioeconomic status, sex, sexuality, nationality and migration status. The course will focus on the impact of health disparities’ impact at multiple system’s levels (e.g. Individual, patient-clinician, healthcare system, etc.)."

In response to the the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, the university published an open letter to its community which stated the following: "Ponce Health Sciences University stands in solidarity with Black students, faculty, staff, alumni, and all Americans and global voices in condemning these despicable racial injustices and mindless acts of violence. As an institution, we are dedicated to protecting fairness, diversity and justice. This includes equal access to health care and health education for every person."

The university's Diversity and Inclusion webpage states the following regarding the underrepresented in medicine: "Several racial and ethnic minority groups as well as people from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are significantly underrepresented among health professionals in the United States. Underrepresented minority groups have traditionally included African-Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans, and mainland Puerto Ricans. Numerous public and private programs aim to remedy this underrepresentation by promoting the preparedness and resources available to minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged health professions candidates, and the admissions and retention of these candidates in the health professions pipeline and workforce."