The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Medical School
- Mailing Address
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Box G-A1
Providence, Rhode Island 02912 - Phone
- (401) 863-3330
- Email address
- MedSchool_Admissions@brown.edu
- Website
- https://medical.brown.edu/
- School Information
- "By attracting first-class physicians and researchers to Rhode Island over the past four decades, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University has radically improved the state's health care environment, from health care policy to patient care. Students are admitted to the School through a variety of pathways. The medical school awards approximately 140 MD degrees each year. The Warren Alpert Medical School is a component of Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine, which also includes the Program in Biology. Together with Brown's seven affiliated teaching hospitals, the collective research enterprise in the life and health sciences attracts $195 million in sponsored research funding per year" (Source: https://medical.brown.edu/about). Founded in 1811, the school has nearly 600 medical students.
- General Information
- The medical school created Discussing Anti-Racism and Equity, a series of curricula and trainings related to anti-racism. A strategic plan for diversity and inclusion was also formulated. Current priorities include curriculum restructuring, admissions changes, and mandatory readings of books on anti-racism such as Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Anti-Racist. See developments below:
Actions Taken
- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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The school’s Committee on Anti-Racism and Equity (CARE) established Discussing Anti-Racism and Equity (DARE) as an “educational intervention aimed at emergency medicine frontline providers.” The curriculum includes conferences on racism and equity, simulations, reading groups, and film screenings integrated into the existing education at Brown in order to “encourage anti-racist attitudes and behaviors” and to provide “equitable and actively anti-racist care” by assessing implicit bias and structural racism.
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The school offers an online course to healthcare professionals titled “Centering Racism” on systemic racism, oppression, and systems of privilege and inequities in healthcare. As part of the course, they offer additional resources of numerous books and articles featuring “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi.
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The school’s Brown Advocates for Social Change and Equity (BASCE) is a program “supported by the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs that seeks to develop healthcare leaders who have and aptitude and passion for engaging their peers in dialogue around issues of racism, cultural diversity, inclusion, social justice, and health equity.”
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In July 2022, through the school's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, the Warren Alpert Medical School announced "revisions to its Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society, selection/review committee membership and nomination and selection criteria in order to improve the holistic review of eligible students." Part of the new criteria states that "All members of the selection committee have been asked to complete online implicit bias training from Brown University."
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The school's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion issued an update on its "Anti-Racism Training Opportunities" and stated that "Since 2019, the senior-level leadership and extended leadership groups, which includes assistant/associate deans and center directors, have been required to participate in ongoing anti-racism trainings including unconscious bias training. There is a continued commitment by the Medical School to fund ongoing leadership and faculty anti-racism training."
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- Curriculum Changes and Requirements
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The school has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives Dashboard to track the progress of initiatives addressing systemic racism, restorative justice work, efforts to increase student admissions for underrepresented groups, as well as curriculum changes towards anti-racism education.
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The entire medical curriculum at the school was overhauled to integrate anti-racism curriculum material throughout all courses as well as recruiting a more diverse faculty to teach these courses. With this, “all incoming first-year medical students were required to read Fatal Invention by Dorothy Roberts and attend mandatory small group discussions on the book led by trained faculty. Rising second-year students read How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, again with mandatory small group discussions and preceding faculty preparation. Additionally, the Race and Medicine section in the Health Systems Science course was moved forward with an added focus on racism and oppressive policies.”
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- Resources
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The Discussing Anti-Racism and Equity organization hosted a book club featuring “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X Kendi.
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The school’s Department of Emergency Medicine has a compilation of Anti-Racism Skills Links and Resources posted including “Handling Microaggressions,” “How Cops Get Away With Murder,” “Defund Police Toolkit,” “A Guide to White Privilege,” and “Becoming an Antiracist.”
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- Symbolic Actions
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The school has a strategic plan for diversity and inclusivity called Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion.
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On June 4, 2020, the school released a statement on their commitment to anti-racism following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor in which they “recognize the systems and structures that perpetuate racism and oppression and acknowledge the need for change.”
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The Warren Alpert Medical School took part in launching the Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health, where “the Research Advisory Council will undertake initiatives in Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
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