At UAB, providing culturally responsive healthcare is a priority. Each day we provide the best care to all our patients, and we proactively work to ensure that we meet the needs of our diverse community. With diversity in leadership, faculty, residents, and staff, our patient population benefits from innovative approaches to patient care that will have a positive impact on reducing healthcare disparities. We are proud of the inclusive learning environment at UAB, and we firmly believe it is a key to our residents’ success. 

Our program's diversity and inclusion initiatives offer residents an opportunity make a lasting impact on our culture while learning about the many factors that impact culture and diversity in academic medicine. Specific aims of our initiatives are to:

• Promote a culture of inclusiveness in a dedicated effort to increase Departmental diversity through the recruitment, development, and retention of diverse physicians

• Promote cultural competency within the Internal Medicine Residency Program

• Promote a healthier community and mitigate healthcare disparities

Longitudinal Diversity and Inclusion Curriculum

In 2020, our program launched a longitudinal diversity and inclusion curriculum to educate residents on the impact of bias on medical care and outcomes. The goal is for our trainees to gain insight regarding ways in which we should can change our practice and culture to eliminate disparities care and health outcomes.

Topics for the 2021-2022 year include:

• Intro to Health Disparities

• Supporting Trainees by Addressing Inappropriate Behaviors by Patients

• Patient Experience Forum

• Structural Racism and Healthcare

• Care for the Justice-Involved Patient

• Disparities in Care and Outcomes for Patients with Renal Disease

• Care for the Transgender Patient (ambulatory morning report topic)

• Presence 5 for Racial Justice (ambulatory morning report topic)

• Unconscious Bias Training for the Intern Selection Committee

Pipeline Initiatives and Recruitment Efforts

According to the AAMC 2008 study of Diversity in Medicine, ethnic groups including African-American, Hispanic or Latino American, Asian-American, American Indian, and Alaska Native American only account for 25% of the total US physicians. The Department of Medicine and Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office recognize the importance of supporting under-represented minorities both personally and professionally in their pursuit of success. We continued to foster relationships with organizations aimed at the recruitment, retention and support of minorities in medicine.

We have worked closely with UAB’s Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Chapter to collaborate with yearly events. Moreover, each year members of our committee represent UAB at national conferences for SNMA, Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), and talks at medical schools supportive of UAB’s focus on diversity.

DEC Mixers and Second Look Weekend

We are very proud to offer under-represented minority and international medical graduate applicants an in-depth look at UAB’s focus on diversity through our Pre-Interview Dinner Diversity Mixers. At these events, applicants meet with other minority residents and faculty as well as many department leaders and core clinical faculty that celebrate the importance in pursuing diversity in our department and embracing inclusivity.

Community Service

We recognize the importance of our residents and faculty mirroring the diversity in our patient population and embrace opportunities where we can give back to the community we aim to serve. Each year we design a fun-filled, interactive activity at a local elementary school to promote health education. We also work with other department of medicine committees in collaborative community service events such as a Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive. We are continually aiming to expand our community service efforts to better service a population in need.

A Culture of Inclusion

Our department is excited about equipping residents and faculty with the tools to provide culturally competent care to our diverse patient population. We have recently incorporated a two part lecture series on unconscious biases delivered by Dr. Monica Baskin who serves as our Department of Medicine Vice Chair for Culture and Diversity.

Resident Expression

Photo: UAB Internal Medicine and Pediatric residents kneeling for 8 minutes and 46 seconds in honor of George Floyd, an innocent Black man who died from police brutality. June 5, 2020: White Coats for Black Lives.