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To celebrate and honor URiM faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in their careers, as well as emulated the Minorities in Medicine & Science principles, the UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity & Inclusion created the Professional Excellence Award.

Winners of this award must have significant accomplishments within the past 1-3 years in at least one of the following areas: research, teaching, or service. Additionally, priority is given to individuals who help UAB School of Medicine create an environment where minorities in medicine choose to be.

Many people have found it hard to connect with people throughout the pandemic—limiting interactions to virtual gatherings and phone calls. Now, as restrictions have lifted, two Heersink School of Medicine students want to bring their community and its allies together. This year (2021), Itamar and Max—both equipped with the desire to build a community centered around Jewish community and culture—have launched the Jewish Medical Student Association (JMSA).

As a construct, Racial Justice has been around since the United States was founded and arguably since the beginning of time. However, as a term, Racial Justice is something many people are just now coming to understand. Uniformly, racial justice has been described by NEA Ed Justice as “the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all.” Depending on the industry, these injustices can take many forms. In medicine and medical education, it can mean the difference between life and death—making the fair treatment of all people of utmost importance.

On August 29 and 30, leaders throughout UAB Medicine gathered for workshops on unconscious and implicit bias, led by Lenora Billings-Harris, a world-renowned expert on dealing with bias in the workplace. Deans, department chairs, health system executives, and other key leadership members gathered in Finley Hall to discuss the internal workings of the human mind and how they play into everyday decision-making.

“Diversity is simply who is on the team,” Billings-Harris explained to a full room of UAB Medicine leaders. “Inclusion is who gets to play.”

She explained that unconscious bias – the internal preferences, frameworks and perceptions that frame the way each individual views the world – aren’t necessarily bad. In fact, the ability to make quick judgments was essential to survival throughout human evolution. However, unconscious bias becomes damaging when we assume that the judgments we make based on preferences, of which we’re unaware, reflect objective reasoning.

The business world is replete with examples of excellence achieved through diversity of thought – but the term “diversity” carries with it uncomfortable baggage, Billings explained. People often think of affirmative action or quotas, when in reality it isn’t about either of those things. Increasing diversity increases the types of perspectives around the table, which can provide fruitful turf for new ideas and concepts to take root.

The SOM ODI engaged the services of external consultant Lenora Billings-Harris to provide implicit bias educational sessions for more than eighty key members of UAB Medicine leadership on August 15, 2018.  Involving leaders from a wide range of areas, this initiative was launched as a follow-up to implicit bias training held in August, 2017. 

The session was entitled: Maximizing the Power of Inclusion, Part II.  All participants from the earlier session (in August 2017) were invited to attend Part II. 

Participants engaged in an interactive lecture, as well as in role-playing exercises to provide practical tools for combatting bias when it occurs. The intention of the initiative was to be practical, meaningful, and actionable.

Lenora Billings-Harris of Ubuntu Global has trained business and nonprofit leaders, as well as educators, health system professionals, and politicians, in numerous topics related to diversity and inclusion around the world. Decades of hands-on experience has helped her isolate the most effective tools for engaging and addressing bias without creating new sources of conflict or isolation. She taught workshop participants her S.T.O.P. technique, which empowers individuals who are the target of bias, or who witness bias, to speak about their experiences and perceptions effectively without assigning blame or increasing hostility.

Billings-Harris also serves as a consultant to the UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion in the development of the Toolkit for a Healthy Environment, “The Common Thread.”

“I’m pleased that we were able to create a meaningful educational experience to equip leaders to deal with bias in all its forms,” said Mona Fouad, MD, MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. “Bias is a human characteristic, and something that impacts all of us in subtle ways. Lenora’s tools are helpful and timely.” 

Hello and happy National Women’s History Month!

As we celebrate women’s history, we want to also recognize the incredible women in our midst; they offer vital contributions to our institution and our history. We applaud them for their astounding achievements and thank them for the meaningful moments they share with us and others.

LGBT Health Awareness Week is the last week of March, March 27-31, 2017. This is a week designed to promote LGBT health and bring awareness to the unique health care needs of the LGBT community. The National LGBT Health Education Center suggests that health centers celebrate this week through one or more of the following:

• Partnering with a local LGBT organization to host or sponsor an event

• Holding a town hall to get feedback from LGBT patients and community members

• Organizing grand rounds or training for staff on LGBT health needs

• Creating a more welcoming environment by having LGBT health posters and brochures in waiting and exam areas, such as the ones available at www.lgbthealtheducation.org

• Directing staff to online training resources available at www.lgbthealtheducation.org

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) has invited a team of Staff Diversity Liaisons (SDL) to help cultivate a diverse and equitable environment across the Heersink School of Medicine. The group is comprised of more than 30 staff members representing 26 departments and the Huntsville Regional Campus.

Facilitated by ODI Program Manager Dr. Leisha Hultgren, SDL was officially formed in the fall of 2021 to fulfill one of the key Racial Justice Priorities for the school, “increasing support and programming for professional advancement of underrepresented staff.”

Nita A. Limdi, Pharm.D., Ph.D, a professor in the Department of Neurology in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, has been awarded a Midcareer Investigator Award in patient-oriented research by the National Institutes of Health. The purpose of these awards, known as K24 grants, is to provide protected time to devote to patient-oriented research and to act as research mentors for clinical residents, clinical fellows, and/or junior clinical faculty.

Limdi, the interim director of the UAB Hugh Kaul Personalized Medicine Institute, is engaged in antithrombotic therapy pharmacogenomics research. Antithrombotic - or anticlotting - drugs commonly known as blood thinners, are widely used but can be challenging to prescribe. 

On January 31, 2020, the UAB School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion will host its 4thannual Diversity Fair, celebrating the wealth of experiences, perspectives, and cultures in the School of Medicine. 

The Diversity Fair will be held from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in the second floor atrium of North Pavilion, and will feature cuisine from around the world, presented by the School of Medicine departments, as well as a live international band. Judges will circulate from table to table, evaluating each department’s entry based on both food quality and presentation, and the winning tables will be awarded gift cards. 

“The Fair is an exciting opportunity for us to enjoy all the ways in which we are both similar and different,” said Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. “The atmosphere of the Fair is joyous and celebratory; it’s a chance to come together.”

The 2019 Diversity Fair drew roughly 700 participants. The Fair is open to all faculty, staff, and students of the School of Medicine and their families, and is free to attend. 

As an office, we strive to pursue excellence in medicine at UAB by cultivating an equitable environment that accepts and affirms all—in the areas of education, research, and patient care.

Led by Dr. Mona Fouad (pictured top right), Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, our office aims to:

Most commonly, a micro-aggression has been described by Derald Wing Sue as, “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward marginalized groups.”

Sue also divided these micro-aggressions into three distinct groups—microassult, microinsult, and microinvalidation.

Light jazz music riffed in the background at the UAB Alumni House as prospective medical residents and current UAB School of Medicine faculty moved through the large ballroom on the evening of February 2. The annual Minority Faculty Reception, held to recognize the crucial contributions of minority faculty at the UAB School of Medicine, was underway at the same time that many departments within the school welcomed back prospective residents for a "second look." 25 medical students considering residencies in 10 School of Medicine departments chatted easily with faculty members while enjoying a buffet. 

February 2-3, 2017 marked an eventful week's end for the School of Medicine's Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). In addition to the Minority Faculty Reception, on the evening of February 2, the ODI was sponsoring Diversity Grand Rounds, featuring John Ruffin, Ph.D., at noon on February 3, followed by the launch of the School of Medicine's first annual Diversity Fair. 

Juneteenth, a time for celebration, is a combination of June and 19—the date that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.

To celebrate, Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion and the Black/African American Faculty Association is hosting its inaugural Juneteenth event on Tuesday, June 13 from 11 AM – 1 PM. Those who are interested in attending can expect camaraderie, good food, music, art, and poetry.

The impact felt by interest groups and associations is often two-fold. First, these organizations develop a sense of camaraderie and shared belonging—elements that prove beneficial throughout one’s medical school training and career. Second, the awareness garnered by these groups helps educate people who may not have had exposure to different cultures and life experiences.

Currently, the UABSOM Office for Diversity and Inclusion’s Student Affairs office is home to groups and associations for a range of ethnic and gender diverse students, including the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), Asian Pacific Medical Student Association (APAMSA), MedPride, and American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA).

Now, with the help of Ala’a Abu-Spetani (MS3), Rabisa Khan (MS1), Shefa Suhaila (MS2), and Muhammad Amjad (MS3), we will be adding the first religious student interest group, Muslims in Medicine. Giving us a sneak preview of what we can expect from the new group is Ala’a Abu-Spetani.

About Native American Heritage Month

First declared by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, Native American Heritage Month is a time set aside to honor the cultures, traditions, and histories of the Native American/Indigenous people. To commemorate this month, people should learn about the Native American experience—both past and present.

Native Americans in Medicine

In science and medicine, we understand the importance of having representation of our diverse cultures and heritages. With this understanding comes better patient care, research, and so much more.

To share his experience being a Native American, not only in Alabama but also in medicine, the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion interviewed Citizen Member of the Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama, Boone G. Rountree (PGY-4), DO, M.Ed.

With the many different cultures, religions, and countries represented at UAB, it might feel overwhelming when trying to be respectful of everyone’s calendars. To help, the SOM Office for Diversity and Inclusion is offering all faculty, staff, and students access to the diversity calendar.

“We are here tonight to celebrate exceptional women,” said Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, “who are working to make significant advances in research, in teaching, in mentoring, and in clinical work. Years ago, each of the women recognized tonight made a deliberate choice to seek out excellence regardless of inequities or of personal and professional obstacles. Tonight, we rejoice in your achievement.”

Dr. Fouad was addressing a group of women faculty and their families, colleagues, division leaders, and department chairs, who were gathered in the Wallace Tumor Institute Lobby to celebrate the promotion of 14 women to the position of professor. An annual event sponsored by the School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion, the October 19 reception was the third of its kind, intended to recognize the exceptional strides women are making within the School of Medicine.

In 2015, when the Women in Medicine and Science Promotion Reception was launched, four women were promoted to the position of professor. In 2016, that number more than doubled, to ten women. In 2017, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion was delighted to recognize 14 women attaining the rank of professor.

After light refreshments, each honoree was introduced by her department chair, or a representative sent by the chair. Each of the women faculty honored was outstanding in her field in important ways, from innovative contributions to research, to exceptional clinical achievements, to the attainment of significant grant funding. Many of the women honored had gained not only national recognition for their work, but had made a name for themselves on the global stage as well.

Over the first weekend in June, diversity and inclusion faculty and staff from academic medical centers throughout the U.S. gathered in New Orleans to discuss the most pressing issues related to execution of their mission. The annual Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Group on Diversity and Inclusion conference featured, as always, an array of well-qualified speakers and presenters and a wide range of workshops.

UAB School of Medicine’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) was selected to lead a deep-dive workshop at the conference, entitled “Diversity and Inclusion Programming in Academic Medicine: An Interactive Development Model.” Co-presenters Lori Bateman, Ph.D., Laura Heider, MBA, and Evelyn Jones, MA, Business Administration, not only explained the historical development and operations of the ODI but also the most recent research available on diversity and inclusion within UAB. The workshop also highlighted a key new initiative for programming for the Office for Diversity and Inclusion: the Toolkit for a Healthy Environment.

This toolkit, entitled “The Common Thread: Find Yourself in Everyone,” is a collaborative educational initiative developed through a Health Services Foundation grant in conjunction with the School of Dentistry and the School of Health Professions. The resources for the toolkit, which are still under development and intended for use among all departments in the School of Medicine, can be found at uab.edu/TheCommonThread.

Under the direction of Mona Fouad, M.D., MPH, Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, the Office for Diversity and Inclusion has been developing numerous educational initiatives, including the toolkit, to facilitate the creation of an inclusive culture at UAB School of Medicine. 

The Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs (ODI SA) has had a full autumn. Currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage month, ODI SA has partnered with the UAB School of Medicine chapter of the Latino Medical Association (LMSA) to showcase and celebrate Hispanic and Latino medical students, staff and faculty. 

            The Student Advisory Board launched a lunchtime series of “Difficult Dialogues Lunch and Learn,” intended to spur discussion and engagement on pressing matters in the practice of medicine. The first speaker was Dr. Kari White, an Associate Professor of Public Health Care Organization and Policy, who spoke on “Healthcare and Immigration: the intersection of National and state policies in Alabama.” This inaugural speech took place on September 18.

            The Diversity Ambassadors Program is also underway. The purpose of the Diversity Ambassadors is to work in partnership with Admissions and the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs to help promote UAB School of Medicine and its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the ongoing spirit of community. Diversity Ambassadors are drawn from the pool of current medical students.

            For information on current and future activities for the Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Student Affairs, email Jenna Blythe-Tjia at jbt@uab.edu or Carolyn Maddox at cmaddox@uab.edu.