The UVA Housestaff Council for Diversity and Inclusion (HCDI) recently hosted the second annual “Surgery & Anesthesia Day Camp” with the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia. Residents and faculty in the departments of Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Anesthesiology guided local middle school students through hands-on simulation exercises. Activities included suturing using pigs’ feet, a laparoscopy simulation game, a CPR workshop, and intubation practice. The event also included a Q&A panel, where students had the opportunity to ask the residents about their experiences, and a learning session about the path to residency and different specialty options.
HCDI was co-founded by General Surgery residents in 2017 and currently includes 3 of our residents on its leadership board. Their mission is to promote diversity and inclusion among UVA housestaff as well as in the greater Charlottesville community by partnering with organizations such as The Boy and Girls Club. HCDI also worked with the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) program, which aims to further diversity across UVA Health, to organize this event.