Equity & Inclusion
Serwa Ertl, MD, Inaugural Associate Chair of Community Engagement for the Department of Pediatrics
The Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC) is a group of faculty, staff, and trainees who work together to increase diversity in the department and ensure that our workplace is inclusive of all colleagues and patients. Recent EIC work has included arranging Grand Rounds speakers, organizing community events, and recruiting talented residents, faculty, and staff.
- To foster and promote a culture of welcoming for all patients, learners, faculty, and staff in the Department of Pediatrics
- To identify opportunities to create a more equitable work environment and develop programming to this end
- To engage with our local community to promote the health and well-being of children from marginalized communities
The Faculty & Staff Subcommittee is assessing opportunities for recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff in order to create a set of departmental best practices. The subcommittee also sponsors annual Grand Rounds and other continuing medical education lectures and panels around health disparities, equity, and inclusion.
The Trainee Subcommittee includes residents, faculty, and staff who are committed to the recruitment of underrepresented minority trainees (residents and fellows). This year, we developed a recruitment handout to highlight resources available in Charlottesville for underrepresented minority trainees. Click here to find out more about our scholarship!
The Housestaff Council for Diversity and Inclusion (HCDI) is committed to building a culture of inclusion and respect at UVA by engaging with house staff and collaborating with the Charlottesville community. More information can be found on their site, Click Here to find out more!
All of our pediatric residents participate in an innovative DEI curriculum. Every resident is given blocked time to participate in a community or educational DEI activity of their choice, either on their own or in a group. We give our residents autonomy to individualize their learning about the population or topic of their choice and share their experience during two dedicated noon conferences. In addition, we have noon didactics throughout the year in which we learn about vulnerable populations and hear insights and perspectives directly from members of those communities.
The Community Outreach Subcommittee engages with quality improvement projects to enhance the quality of clinical care for Spanish-speaking patients. Subcommittee members also volunteer with UVA’s Latino Health Initiative on a variety of community-facing educational and service events, including COVID-19 free testing events in communities of color. Finally, the subcommittee partners with local schools to provide relevant programming and education.
- Home Visit Program, a resident-run monthly clinic for well-child and sick visits
- Global Health Leadership Track, a GME-wide program that includes
opportunities for rotations in various countries - Back-to-school physicals and community fairs at the Boys and Girls Club
- Volunteer opportunities with the Latino Health Initiative (LHI) and the
Southwood Community Center - Rotations at UVA Pediatrics at Orange, a rural Patient-Centered
Medical Home - Rotations in the International Family Medicine Clinic, which specializes in
care for immigrants and refugees - UVA is a regional leader for Transgender Health
Services for youth ages 11 to 26, at the Teen and
Young Adult Health Center - Side-by-Side LGBTQ+ Youth Support Group (weekly
support group for patients at the Teen Health Center)
Conferences & Organizations
UVA Pediatrics has participated in the regional and national Student National Medical Association (SNMA) conferences over the past several years to recruit talented underrepresented minority medical students. Each year, the department funds 1-2 residents to serve as representatives at these conferences
If interested, there are additional opportunities for residents to participate in the following:
Recent Community Engagement and Outreach
- UVA’s Soar Program helps high school students discover new passions
- Virtual Observership in Pediatrics (VOP) program created and led by Drs. Debbie-Ann Shirley and Dr. Sarah Boggs
- Asymptomatic COVID-19 testing program to reduce the length of quarantine and time away from school. Organized and staffed by multiple faculty and staff members from UVA Children’s Hospital
- Food insecurity program created by Drs. Wrentmore & Gander; Tegan Medico, RD; Lashanna Hicks, LCSW; Blanca Garcia-Segundo, LCSW
- SOAR program with Junior faculty mentors Drs. Brynne Sullivan & Sana Syed
- STEM fundraising of $30,000+ to support Charlottesville’s iSTEM program led by Dr. Sana Syed
Recent Charlottesville Events
- Fall Welcoming Event for new pediatric faculty, staff and their families at Merrie Mill Farm & Vineyard
- Walking tour of the “The Story of Us” – Reclaiming the narrative of Charlottesville through storytelling and portraits of community resilience
- Pride Month Happy Hour Party at Vitae Spirits in Downtown Charlottesville
- Juneteenth Parade and Celebration at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center
Iftar dinner to acknowledge the end of the fasting during Ramadan at Sultan Kabob- Equality Virginia – Equality Virginia advocates and organizes across the Commonwealth, serving the full spectrum of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, and Queer people within Virginia. We are fighting for equality for all in Virginia.
Recent highlights
- Dr. Cherise Brackett, subcommittee chair for the Trainee Subcommittee, was appointed the 2021 president of the Housestaff Council for Diversity and Inclusion (HCDI)
- Developed a Scholarship for visiting fourth-year medical students focused on increasing diversity in pediatrics. Rotations are available in Ambulatory Pediatrics, Inpatient Pediatrics, NICU, and Teen Health.
- Grand Rounds lectures:
- 2023: “Avoiding Bias in Writing Narratives”, by Robert Nakamoto, PhD
- 2023: “Not a disease from another world”, Lessons in community-engaged research by Irene Mathieu, MD
- 2022: A History of Race at UVA Health, 1901-1965 by Dan Cavanaugh
- 2022: Formula Fiascos: Scarcities, Disparities, and Rethinking Nutrition Policy & Practice by Tegan Medico & Olivia Obertello
- 2022: The Role of the academic medical center in community health by Dr. James Nataro
- 2022: Race in Medicine: Data or Distraction? by Drs. Andrewa Deyrup and Joseph Graves
- 2022: The Health Equity Collaborative – Using large databases to understand and influence patient outcomes by Dr. Tracey Hoke
- 2022: Women in Academic Medicine: Progress and Challenges by Dr. Vivian Pinn
- 2022: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Moving from Ambition to Competency by Dr. Tracy Downs
- 2021: Addressing Food Insecurity in the Clinical Setting by Tegan Medico
- 2021: “Intentional Mentoring to Support Diversity- It’s About Relationships Over Time” by Dr. Shari Barkin (Faculty Summer Series)
- 2021: “Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Changes in 2020-2021 Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic” Khizr Khan
- 2020 “Mapping Cville: How racist housing policies have shaped social determinants of health” by Jordy Yager (Faculty Summer Series)
- 2020: “Not that long ago: A community discussion about exclusion and discrimination in Charlottesville during the Civil Rights Era and to this day” by Kathy Harris, Rev. Dr. Alvin Edwards, and Dr. Preston Reynolds
- Other CME:
- Antiracist Book Club with alternating fiction and non-fiction books
- 2023: ‘My Monticello’ by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
- 2023: She Would be King by Wayetu Moore
- 2022: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- 2022: This Boy We Made by Taylor Harris
- 2020: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
- 2021: Fatal Invention by Dorothy Roberts
- 2021: Everywhere You Don’t Belong by Gabriel Bump
- Antiracist Book Club with alternating fiction and non-fiction books
- Faculty and Staff Support:
- Generated statements condemning racism against Black and AAPI communities, and reaffirming UVA Pediatrics’ commitment to tackling these issues in our department and beyond. Served as a model for SOM-wide statements.
- Creating an ally list to strengthen mentorship and social support of URM faculty and staff.
- Collated list of cross-ground DEI resources
- Dr. Irène P. Mathieu served as a facilitator for Stepping In Creating a Culture of Respect and Inclusion Collaborative Project (https://steppinginforrespect.com/)
- Dr. Irène P. Mathieu helped lead the establishment of URM mentoring families across the SOM, in conjunction with HCDI and the GME office.
- Quality improvement for Spanish-speaking patients in our clinical spaces
- Department-wide reflection on the events of August 11-12, 2017
- Collaboration with the Latino Health Initiative at local community events
- Participation in the Housestaff Council for Diversity & Inclusion’s Trainee Diversity & Inclusion conference
- Participation in regional and national SNMA conferences and UVA’s Second Look Weekend for prospective residents
- Dr. Linda Waggoner-Fountain co-authored Dismantling Racism: Association of Pediatric Program Directors’ Commitment to Action