DEI Program Initiatives

Multiple initiatives have been developed to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within our residency program, our institution, and more broadly in the field of pediatric health care. Several of these are being implemented in the 2022-2023 academic year.

• Recruitment
  • Attendance at national meetings hosted by student organizations representing those who are historically underrepresented in the medical profession to connect with students interested in pediatrics across the country
  • Creation of a Visiting Student Elective Scholarship for students who are historically underrepresented in medicine to begin in 2023-2024
  • Expanded activity with our pediatric interest group and other UAMS student organizations to pique interest in the field of pediatrics prior to junior clerkships
  • Institute a holistic review process for residency applicant interview offers and standardized interview questions to increase validity and fairness while decreasing bias in the residency selection process
• Support and Retention
  • Assess the current climate of the Pediatric Residency Program with a climate survey prior to intervention implementation, committee establishment, or creation of the Director of Residency DEI
  • Establish the Residency Diversity and Inclusion Committee to support current trainees and direct future projects and initiatives aimed to achieve inclusive excellence
  • Provide an avenue for scholarly work surrounding initiatives to improve diversity of our trainees, retention of diverse trainees as faculty, determine and improve the current clinical learning environment, etc.
• Education
  • Annual Academic Half Day dedicated to DEI led by an inclusive-thought leader and professional in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion training and education
  • Longitudinal Curriculum covering topics of health equity, healthcare disparities in pediatrics, structural racism and its effects on pediatric healthcare, microaggressions in medical training, upstander training, and exploring non-traditional biases
  • Community Health Needs Bus Tour
    • The Community Health Needs Bus Tour takes place during intern orientation each summer. This reflective program seeks to increase resident knowledge of social determinants of health and the specific health inequities that shape our Little Rock community. In particular, this tour serves to provide context to the community and patients we serve while connected our new interns to the people and organizations working to overcome these disparities.
    • At each tour stop, residents learn about a particular social determinant of health and highlight a particular organization or resource working to improve the health of children in our community. At some tour stops, organization leaders “hop on” the bus to share the specific impact their efforts have on diverse health needs of children and families.
    • The tour was also designed with two “hop off” destinations at Central High School Visitor Center and the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. These site visits were specifically identified to illustrate how Little Rock’s unique history and racial division created some of the health inequity of today. At the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, residents toured the exhibits and met with a museum curator to understand and celebrate African American history and culture in Arkansas. At Central High School, residents toured the museum and learned about the history of the “Little Rock 9.” These “tour stops” highlighted the impact of public policy and racism, and sought to expand residents’ cultural competency, the ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across We look forward to having you aboard!