Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Medical School
- Mailing Address
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660 S Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63110 - Phone
- (314) 362-5000
- Email address
- mdadmissions@wustl.edu
- Website
- https://medicine.wustl.edu/
- School Information
- "Washington University School of Medicine is committed to advancing human health throughout the world. As noted leaders in patient care, research and education, our outstanding faculty has contributed many discoveries and innovations to science and medicine since the school’s founding in 1891. Located on the Washington University Medical Campus adjacent to the Cortex Innovation Community, we are one of seven schools of Washington University in St. Louis." The school enrolls 1.422 students and employs 2,603 faculty. (Source: https://medicine.wustl.edu/about/) (Source: https://medicine.wustl.edu/about/facts/)
- General Information
- The Executive Faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine approved “an Anti-Racism statement and a school-wide Understanding Systemic Racism (USR) curriculum.” According to the school, “The curriculum will include core components (ex. Historical Context, Shared Terminology, Identity Reflection, Race as a Social Construct) as well as track-specific topics (ex. Cultural Humility, Clinical Applications, Bias in Science, Action Planning).” Additionally, the Office of Education will “require diversity and bias training for all searches and admissions processes including student, resident, fellow, faculty, and staff positions in education.” See developments below:
Actions Taken
- Admissions Policies
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The Office of Education recognizes “that MCAT, NBME subject exam, and USMLE scores, like all standardized tests, suffer from the consequences of systemic racism and other forms of bias and therefore must always be considered as only one aspect of a true holistic review process. Admissions has already commissioned an internal review to ensure we are using evidence-based (where available) and emerging best practices in student selection.”
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The mission of the school's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is to "enhance the educational environment through recruitment of a culturally diverse academic workforce while preparing a diverse student body to become leaders in a vibrant, global society."
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- Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
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In March of 2021, the school released a link on Facebook describing the school’s commitment to training students, residents, and fellows on Asian American bias.
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The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers trainings for the School of Medicine to develop "a greater awareness, understanding, commitment, and action framework regarding diversity, equity and inclusion."
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The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers four training sessions on the "fundamentals of diversity education." The sessions cover DEI "Awareness, Understanding, Commitment, and Action." It also provides training modules on "Cultural Awareness," “isms,” and "Unconscious Bias" among others.
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- Curriculum Changes and Requirements
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The Office of Education will “investigate our UME curriculum and its artifacts for evidence of structural racism and other biases. We will be developing a team of individuals to review these items for that purpose. We will expand this process as we learn how to do it effectively.”
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The Executive Faculty of the Washington University School of Medicine approved “an Anti-Racism statement and a school-wide Understanding Systemic Racism (USR) curriculum.” According to the school, “The curriculum will include core components (ex. Historical Context, Shared Terminology, Identity Reflection, Race as a Social Construct) as well as track-specific topics (ex. Cultural Humility, Clinical Applications, Bias in Science, Action Planning).”
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The school's Understanding Systemic Racism curriculum is "being created and led by a diverse, multidisciplinary, interprofessional team anchored within the WUSM Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion..." The Executive Faculty "further pledged time and support... to help tailor and teach the USR curriculum, again embedding this work into each department to ensure longitudinal change." Learners of this curriculum will "Understand both historical and present-day structural racism specific to St. Louis and its impact on the healthcare system, medical education, research and institutional climate/culture."
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- Faculty/Staff Requirements
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The Executive Faculty have undergone “an ‘Introduction to Systemic Racism’ workshop led by Crossroads, an independent organization that provides anti-racism organizing and training.”
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The Office of Education will “require diversity and bias training for all searches and admissions processes including student, resident, fellow, faculty, and staff positions in education.”
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The Office of Education will partner “with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to provide all UME course, clerkship, and coaching faculty with training on systemic racism and white supremacy culture and how this impacts both education and health.”
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The school's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion facilitates the "Fundamentals of diversity, equity and inclusion" training sessions (four-part series) and employees are "expected to complete all four sessions by their fourth year of employment."
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The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion required "Unconscious Bias Training for Managers" which is "designed to develop skills needed to attract, hire and retain a diverse workforce and to create a climate where all staff is encouraged to develop their talents and ideas."
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- Program and Research Funding
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In October of 2021, the school announced on Facebook that it received a grant from the Merck Foundation to fund underrepresented researchers.
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Medical departments throughout the school offer several programs that "provide funding and networking opportunities to visiting fourth year medical students from diverse backgrounds." Students who are "members of groups underrepresented or inadequately supported in medical training or who are socioeconomically disadvantaged are strongly encouraged to apply."
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The Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine has a "DEI Funding Program." The grant offers funding to "support individuals in [the] department that are actively working to create positive change and address systemic barriers to equality." The grant can support diversity and inclusion in the workplace, DEI education and training, and "increase diversity within a team" among others.
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Seven million dollars worth of grants were dedicated to Alzheimer’s research in pursuit of "racial equity" in 2021. The funding was awarded because "the factors that place Black people at elevated risk remain poorly understood, partly because Black people historically and systematically have been underrepresented in Alzheimer’s studies."
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The MD Diversity Programs has a "Visiting Medical Students" program which provides "funding and networking opportunities to fourth-year medical students interested in our residency training programs." Those particularly encouraged to apply are those who are "members of groups underrepresented or inadequately supported in medical training or who are socioeconomically disadvantaged."
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Through the Equity Champions Program, faculty and staff in the role "receive professional development to support their competency in leading discussions and training around anti-racism culture change and leadership within their department." The program is one of the "foundational strategies for [the] culture change [that] is building the capacity of [the] institution to understand and dismantle systemic racism."
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- Resources
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The school’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion offers Anti-racism resources, including Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist” and Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility, Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.”
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The school has an Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion that aims to, “Provide leadership, expertise and advocacy on all diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within Washington University School of Medicine” and “Enhance and develop community partnerships designed to address health needs and promote health equity within the St. Louis community and beyond.”
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The Graduate Medical Education Consortium offers Anti-Racism Resources, including Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi’s “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” and Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility.”
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The Division of Dermatology “created a resident committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-racism to help support our program leadership in developing programs and facilitating events to further discussions and understanding of the importance of anti-racism and inclusivity work.”
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The school’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion offers Training & professional development, such as “Fundamentals of diversity, equity and inclusion” and “Unconscious Bias.”
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The Office of Education offers “Racial Equity, Civic, and Community Engagement Resources,” such as “Syllabus: A History of Anti-Black Racism in Medicine” and “Developing an Anti-Racist Residency Recruitment Process.”
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The school’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion hosts events such as “Community Discussions: WUSM Leadership’s Commitment to Antiracism Statement” and “Increasing DEI through Accreditation – Conference.”
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In November of 2021, the school highlighted on Facebook that research was being done on “racial bias” and “racial inequities” in regards to COVID-19.
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In February of 2021, the school took to Facebook to highlight an event which will “explore the evidence of unconscious bias, systemic racism, criminal (in) justice, and health inequity specific to Black Boys in America.”
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The DEI Office hosts a monthly "Perspectives Series." The goal of the series is to strengthen the "community’s ability to discuss important topics related to diversity, inclusion, and equity in meaningful ways." It states, "such programs are widely used at workplaces across the country as a tool in building a diverse and inclusive culture."
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- Symbolic Actions
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In June of 2020, the school had a “White Coats for Black Lives” demonstration in response to the death of George Floyd.
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According to a report from Fox News, "A lecturer for Washington University in St. Louis’ medical school was caught on camera warning students that if they try to debate her on critical race theory and 'systemic oppression,' she 'will shut that s--- down real fast.'"
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The school said, "Woven into the design of the Neuroscience Research Building under construction on the Washington University Medical Campus is an intangible yet still very real pillar deemed as important as the 6,500 truckloads of concrete used to reinforce the high-rise. The pillar is a holistic philosophy of diversity, equity and inclusion..."
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The WashUMed Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion said, "On Juneteenth, we recommit ourselves to the work of equity, anti-racism, equality, and justice. As we reflect and celebrate on Juneteenth, we keep in mind the ways in which structural racism continues to impact communities of color in the United States and are mindful of the importance of equity in all spaces!"
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In May 2024, the School of Medicine was honored with the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Institutional Excellence Award for professional schools. The Award is for institutions that have demonstrated dedication to sustainable diversity efforts such as "curricular reform, institutional leadership and transformation, assessment policies and practices, professional development, accountability measures, and outreach efforts."
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