Diversity at Washington University: Embracing the Pipeline

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Diversity at Washington University Embracing
the Pipeline

• Will Ross, M.D., M.P.H.
• Associate Dean for Diversity
• Associate Professor of Medicine
• Washington University School of Medicine
• August 26, 2009

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Whats all this talk about diversity, and what
does it have to do with my role as a faculty
member?
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Missouri Population Growth Rates1995-2025

• Percent

• Population Projections for States by Age, Sex,
  Race, and Hispanic Origin 1995-2025, Report
  PPL-47, U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population
  Division.

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• Refugees Processed in St. Louis 2002-2005

• City of St. Louis Department of Health, 2007

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How do we attend to the needs of this
increasingly diverse patient population and
academic workforce?

• Recruit a diverse group of students, residents
  and faculty from groups underrepresented in
  medicine
• Increase the cultural awareness of the academic
  faculty and staff
• Expand our mission to one that encompasses
  community and population health
• Realign our research efforts to further
  reductions in health care disparities

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• The pipeline approach is based on the concept
  that the highest yield to enhance faculty
  recruitment and/or retention requires aggressive
  efforts to attract highly-qualified URM medical
  students, residents, fellows and postdoctoral
  trainees, and to provide them with a nurturing
  environment that will facilitate career
  development.

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Minority Matriculants to Wash U
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WU
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WU
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African American Matriculants
Washington University School of Medicine
Average MCAT
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Selectivity (MCAT and GPA) 2007 (U.S. News)
MCAT
GPA
Washington University 12.2 3.84 Columbia 11.9
3.78 Harvard 11.7 3.81 Johns
Hopkins 11.6 3.85 Cornell 11.4 3.72 Stanfor
d 11.4 3.71 University of Pennsylvania 11.4 3
.80 Yale 11.4 3.75 University of
Chicago 11.3 3.75 Pittsburgh 11.3 3.68 Duke
11.1 3.74 Case Western Reserve 11.0 3.67 Roch
ester 10.6 3.66
Source U.S. News and World Report Americas
Best Graduate Schools 2008
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Selectivity (MCAT and GPA), 2007 (U.S. News)
MCAT
GPA
Washington University 12.2 3.84 Columbia 11.9
3.78 Harvard 11.7 3.81 Johns
Hopkins 11.6 3.85 Cornell 11.4 3.72 Stanfor
d 11.4 3.71 University of Pennsylvania 11.4 3
.80 Yale 11.4 3.75 University of
Chicago 11.3 3.75 Pittsburgh 11.3 3.68 Duke
11.1 3.74 Case Western Reserve 11.0 3.67 Roch
ester 10.6 3.66
Source U.S. News and World Report Americas
Best Graduate Schools 2008
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Diversity Recruitment Challenges

• We interview and accept numbers of quality
  applicants
• A sufficient number of accepted applicants
  revisit (second look)
• The problem lies in our matriculating accepted
  applicants.
• Reasons
• Financial aid
• Paucity of URM Faculty

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Declination Reasons Report 2006 Accepted
Students Washington University School of
Medicine Percent of accepted applicants who
ranked various categories as most important.
URM
Non-URM

• Financial Aid 13.1 8.4
• Quality of Education 12.6 11.4
• Curriculum 7.1 6.1
• Location 4.4 11.6
• Tuition 1.6 3.6
• Other 6.0 6.7

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How might we enhance the diversity of the most
selective medical school in the country?

• Substantially increase the number of merit awards
  offered to students from disadvantaged groups and
  groups underrepresented in medicine
• Promote formal mentoring programs, such as the
  SNMA mentoring program and the BJ program for
  housestaff
• Revisit the benefits and liability of our
  selectivity ranking. To what extent does it
  hinder our ability to assemble a culturally
  diverse class?
• Provide new opportunities to train students in
  public health/international health while engaging
  them in community health intervention projects

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Ongoing Diversity Strategies

• Recruitment/Travel
• Summer Medical Exposure Programs
• Undergraduate/Graduate Student Research Forums
• Presentations to Pre-selected Students at Elite
  Colleges and
• Universities
• Visiting Electives Program
• Multicultural Activities
• Martin Luther King Day Celebration
• Diversity Week
• Fall Orientation/Diversity Retreat
• Homer G. Phillips Public Health Lecture
• Community-based Programs
• Public Health Interest Group
• WUMP (Medical Plunge)
• Saturday Neighborhood Health Center
• Student National Medical Association

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Office of Diversity Programs Diversity Strategies
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Washington University School of Medicine
URM Pre-Faculty Trainees 2006-2007
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BARRIERS TO RECRUITMENT
AAMC 2002
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Resident Mentoring Program

• Since 2006, a collaboration between Washington
  University School of Medicine, the Barnes-Jewish
  Hospital Center for Diversity and Cultural
  Competence, and Childrens Hospital.
• Provides additional financial support to
  residents who demonstrate a commitment to
  improving cultural diversity within the medical
  center and improving the health of the medically
  underserved in the St. Louis community.
• Promotes mentoring of medical students and
  undergraduate premed students.

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Barnes-Jewish Hospital Center for Diversity and
Cultural Competence

• Residents and Fellows Diversity Initiative
  Members, 2007
• Anesthesiology Takia Oglesby
• Dermatology Chynna Steele
• Diagnostic Radiology Yihua Zhou, Calvin Barnes,
  Kevin Johnson
• Emergency Medicine Jose C. Vega, Dana Hendry
• General Surgery Elbert Kuo, Tricia Moo-Young,
  Oluwadamilola Fayanju
• Internal Medicine Sara Cross, Nasreen Ajmal
  Ilias , Chanda K. Ho, Corey Foster, Patrick White
  
• OB/GYN Traci Johnson, Matrika D. Johnson
• Ophthalmology Shu-Hong (Holly) Chang, Arghavan
  Almony
• Orthopaedic Surgery Charles Toman
• Otolaryngology Osarenoma U. Olomu
• Psychiatry Juliet A . Glover, Cynthia Rogers
• Radiation Oncology Elesyia Outlaw, Kenneth
  Biehl, Ryan M. Tierney

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Washington University Minority Graduates
Entering Residency at the Medical Center
2007
Jesse Alba Emergency
Medicine St. Louis Children's Hospital
Hispanic Oluwadamilola Fayanju General
Surgery Barnes-Jewish Hospital
Black Juliet Glover
Psychiatry Barnes-Jewish
Hospital Black Noma Olomu
Otolaryngology
Barnes-Jewish Hospital Black Leon
Scott Pediatrics
St. Louis Children's Hospital
Black Mwiza Ushe
Neurology Barnes-Jewish
Hospital Black
Surgery residents 2003
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Visiting Clerkship Outcomes, 2008
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Introduction to Public Health Course Survey 2008
(n25)
Percent
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Medical Students Critique of Cultural Competence
Curriculum
What activities or part of the class had the
greatest impact on you?
Selig S, Tropiano E, Greene-Moton E. Teaching
Cultural Competence to Reduce Health Disparities.
Health Promotion Practice. July 2007
(suppl)7247S-255S.
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Resources to Enhance Cultural Competence

• Medical student case studies, POM exercises, etc.
• Repository of validated videos and case
  scenarios shared by Office of Diversity Programs
  and Barnes-Jewish Office of Diversity and
  Cultural Competence.
• National leaders in area of cultural competence.

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Future Opportunities

• Expand Public Health Survey Course, coupled with
  formal experiences in community-based public
  health research
• Develop Visiting Medical Student Clinical
  Translational Research Elective
• Pursue Ghana International Medical Student
  Exchange Program, accelerate opportunities to
  train students in public health/international
  health
• Need for additional staff to coordinate cultural
  competence discussions across medical center.

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We must draw the future physician leadership
for our health care systems. . . from a richly
diverse pool of talent, adequately reflecting our
countrys gender, racial, and ethnic melange.
Its simply smart business to do so. Jordan
Cohen, President, Association of American Medical
Colleges
Jason Stephenson, M.D.
Nefertari Daaga, M.D.