Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

The SKMC Office of Admissions offers several Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship programs to "students who demonstrate a clear commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion" and are "renewed for a maximum of four years contingent upon the awardee success-fully progressing to the next academic level."

One of the goals of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at SKMC is to "[enhance] diversity amongst faculty, residents, students, and staff."

The SKMC 2024-2025 Student Handbook states that the college "draws students from a wide variety of backgrounds, including racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM)...."

The school states that within its curriculum, "students will reflect on the history of race in medicine and healthcare, unconscious bias, the impact of structural racism and its cumulative effect on social determinants of health." Furthermore, "students will critically examine the controversy over the use of race in clinical practice, with the ultimate goal of having a full understanding of the pervasive and persistent impact race and racism continue to have on health outcomes."

All medical students are required to take the Foundational Curriculum, which is composed of "Unconscious Bias and Its Role in Interpersonal Interactions," "Microaggressions in Healthcare," "Social Determinants of Health," and "Structural Racism in Medicine."

The school hosts the Anti-Racism in Health Focus Program which is a “discussion-based event where students will develop their understanding of present and historical factors affecting health equity - including how systemic racism disrupts access to and quality of care - to inform their futures as healthcare practitioners committed to socio-political awareness and cultural humility.”

As part of the medical school’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, “the GME Anti-racism/Anti-bias Curriculum offers a standardized foundational curriculum that addresses inclusive interpersonal skills, social determinants of health and structural racism in medicine. It is coupled with a specialty-specific health disparities curriculum that builds on the foundational curriculum. The program is offered to all TJUH residency programs.”

SKMC has a Council on Diversity & Inclusion which “is charged with creating and updating the vision for diversity and inclusion, performing an ongoing assessment progress and makes recommendations on initiatives, curriculum, policies and resources needed to achieve desired outcomes.”

The school states, "SKMC understands that in order to achieve a curriculum that is anti-racist, it must also incorporate anti-racism education within faculty development and GME training. We are ALL learners in pursuit of an anti-racist institution, medical community, and society."

As part of its commitment to DEI, the Department of Surgery states, "all our faculty have implicit bias training before participating in interviews and candidate selection."

According to the SKMC 2024-2025 Student Handbook, "[n]ewly appointed members of the Committee on Admissions will undergo a formal orientation process" that includes "Unconscious bias in the admissions process."

SKMC offers the Summer Training & Enrichment Program for Underrepresented Persons (STEP-UP) Medicine Program which is a "highly selective, intensive and comprehensive summer enrichment program for students from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine intending to apply to medical school."

SKMC offers the Visiting Clerkships for Underrepresented Minority Medical Students which includes the specialties of Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, and General Surgery.

A site dedicated towards providing Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Training Resources is offered by the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center’s Office for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion provides a variety of DEI training resources which include the topics of unconscious and implicit bias.

One of the "Educational Program Objectives" listed in the SKMC 2024-2025 Student Handbook is stated as follows: "Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population, including but not limited to diversity in ability, age, culture, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation."

The SKMC 2024-2025 Student Handbook states that the "Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Community Engagement along with the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Student Diversity Programs provide guidance and direction in the following key areas: policies and guidelines; recruitment and retention; structural and cultural competency education in the curriculum; pathway programs; and community health."

On February 24, 2023, the school will be hosting a discussion on “factors of interpersonal and structural racism/discrimination at the healthcare system level which contribute to adverse experiences and birth outcomes for persons racialized as Black.”

The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center’s Office for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion made a commitment to work towards its goal to “enhance educational programs that promote cultural respect and understanding, reduce bias, and empower community advocacy among SKCC healthcare professionals and staff.”

The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center’s Office for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion will “prioritize research initiatives that benefit public health and diverse communities’ interests.”

The Diversity, Inclusion & Social Justice Committee created a project titled "Racism in Healthcare - Ubuntu Photo Project on Microaggressions." The goal of the project is to give a "space for our staff, residents, and faculty to share racial microaggressions they have experienced in the workplace and to further challenge us to think about how we can collectively stand up for social justice by responding in solidarity with our colleagues."