Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

The task force working group on admissions will focus on "pipeline programs; underrepresented minority student recruitment; staff diversity; Medical School Admission Committee diversity; yield programs for underrepresented minority students; scholarships; unconscious/implicit bias; admission criteria; and stereotype threat."

The task force recommended that the school "Establish written policy that ensures appropriate consideration of race and ethnicity in VTCSOM admissions" and "Explore application of affirmative action and race neutral policies at other Virginia institutions."

The task force recommended that the school "Offer diversity and inclusion training opportunities at CC and VTCSOM, including implicit bias, microaggressions, active bystander intervention and cultural humility training."

The school lists its many "Diversity and Inclusion Training Programs" including "Exploring Implicit Bias."

The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the school said, "In an effort to combat racism while we battle disease and health inequities, faculty and staff in the VTC community are encouraged to learn meaningful ways to show solidarity and stand against racism and hate in all its forms. One way to do this is by ensuring that our classrooms, clinical environments and learning spaces are equity-mined and free from bias and hostility." Several suggestions included "Acknowledge that racism has deleterious effects on the health of minority populations, and refresh curricula to address culturally competent health care, health care inequities, and help medical students develop the clinical skills to address and curtail racial bias in health care settings."

The task force working group on Phase 1 curriculum will focus on "self-awareness; unconscious/implicit bias; social determinants of health; health equity; pedagogical styles; microaggressions; and imposter syndrome." The task force working group on Phase 2 curriculum will focus on "unconscious/implicit bias; microaggressions; social determinants of health; and bias in performance evaluations."

The InclusiveVTSOM report recommends that the school "Broaden the curricular content to include areas not currently incorporated or fully addressed, such as the impact of identity on healthcare delivery and outcomes, implicit bias, structural racism, race-based medicine, imposter syndrome, LGBTQ+ and multicultural aspects of history and exam skills" and " Modify curricular content to ensure that concepts of race, racism, and race-based medicine are addressed wherever applicable."

By October 2021, the school had incorporated "a focus on conscious and unconscious bias, health equity, and structural racism in medicine at the PBL Facilitator retreat" and added/modified "one or more discussion topics in each required clerkship to incorporate the impact of systemic, institutionalized racism on the disease or pathology being discussed."

By February 2022, the school was in the process of, "Creating an introductory lecture to define and further understanding on race and race-based medicine to be given by the Health Systems Science and Interprofessionalism (HSSIP) Department." Additionally, according to the school "DEI did an introduction at M3 orientation for AY 2021-22." Furthermore, the school was in the process of, "Providing at least one HSSIP lecture during Phase II curriculum about the impact of pandemics and their impacts vary based on race and socioeconomic classifications, largely due to the longstanding effects of systemic racism."

The InclusiveVTSOM report recommends that the school "Optimize the process of reporting concerns related to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the learning and working environment" and "Provide additional training opportunities and requirements (e.g., implicit bias, microaggressions, and bystander role) for faculty, residents, staff, and students."

The InclusiveVTSOM report recommends that the school "Ensure that faculty utilize content and teaching approaches that address bias and racism, and reflects broader diversity of patient examples and cases" and "Ensure that faculty and clerkships are evaluated on their ability to appropriately address the topics of race, racism, and race-based medicine."

By October 2021, the school had established "an ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion-working group" for faculty and staff. It was also in the process of, "Creating an annual diversity and inclusion education requirement for faculty and staff."

By February 2022, the school incorporated "a diversity, equity, and inclusion module (online?) in faculty orientation," created "an annual diversity and inclusion education requirement for faculty and staff," and required "diversity, equity, and inclusion-related training as a Faculty Maintenance of Appointment requirement."

The school has a page with "AAMC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism Resources," including "Racial Health Disparities: How COVID-19 Magnified a Public Health Emergency" and "Racism and Health."

The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the school has "Resources and suggested reading," including "Anti-Bias Education: How Should I Talk about Race in My Mostly White Classroom?" and "White Privilege in a White Coat: How Racism Shaped my Medical Education."

The school hosted an event titled, "Black Bodies and Racialized Medical Technologies," which featured "A Black Feminist’s Critique of the Crooked Room of Medicine (CRoM): Innovation of Thick Studies and the Gender, Race, Weight Matrix."

The school hosted an event that sought "to provide space to discuss how implicit racial and gender biases can change health care outcomes, what disparities currently exist, and how to begin dismantling health injustice."

The InclusiveVTSOM report recommends that the school "Provide opportunities and expectations for faculty, staff, and students to learn about the history of diversity, race and healthcare, social justice, inclusion, and exclusion that has shaped the local population."

The school "identified a wonderful initiative called the 'urban arts projects end racism now mural'" and "presented checks to help with expenses related to the creation of this mural project."

The school assembled a "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force comprising VTCSOM students, faculty, staff, and administrators. The task force will examine current VTCSOM diversity and inclusion initiatives, review innovative diversity-related policies and practices in medical education, and review the suggestions offered by our medical students regarding the learning environment during and after the Community Forum." The task force will present its "recommendations and plan for implementing unbiased policies and practices that will help VTCSOM be a model, principled learning community that prepares the next generations of equity-minded physicians leaders."

The Strategic Planning Committee discussed "issues pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion."

The School of Medicine highlighted TEACH’s June 2023 Education Grand Rounds on the topic of “Promoting an Anti-bias and Inclusive Curriculum: Concrete Tools Toward Excellence in Education and Clinical Care.”

The School of Medicine hosted the annual Advancing Diversity Gathering on January 12, 2023.

The Aequitas Health Honor Society is offered by the School of Medicine, and requires applicants to “have shown significant dedication to health care equity.”

The School of Medicine offers the Dean’s Diversity Champions Award, which “recognizes significant achievements of faculty and students toward developing a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community.”

It was reported on November 15, 2022 that the School of Medicine received the INSIGHT Into Diversity HEED award for the fifth consecutive year.

On August 30, 2022, the School of Medicine announced that it had opened the Center for Inclusion in partnership with the Fralin Biomedical research Institute at VTC and the Office of Health Sciences and Technology.