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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Graduate Medical Education
Residency and fellowship programs at IU School of Medicine strive to create a culture where all individuals are included, valued, and respected while training or teaching.

Committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Indiana University adamantly believes that the opportunity to live and work in a world that builds upon the contributions of everyone is not just a privilege but a right of life. The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs serves as an advocate to replace obstacles with opportunities, so that minority and underrepresented students, faculty, and staff find a sense of belonging at IU.

IU School of Medicine's commitment to diversity includes race, ethnicity, gender and gender identity, religion, socio-economic status, age, geography of origin and residence, sexual orientation, disability, work style and other aspects of human attributes and behaviors. The school offers focused, systematic and sustained programs that are aligned with the three foundational pillars: representational diversity, inclusive working and learning environment, and cultural humility and antiracism.

Aligning with the IU School of Medicine framework for diversity, the Office of Graduate Medical Education seeks to train and support a group of residents and fellows from diverse backgrounds in an inclusive environment that supports innovation, collaboration, and discovery. IU School of Medicine identifies three pillars for diversity that are essential for our effort to continue to build a diverse work force that is devoted to patient care and one another.




medallion and light purple ribbon for the The Barbara Ross-Lee, DO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award


Recipient of the 2024 Barbara Ross-Lee, DO Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award

Diversity at IU School of Medicine

GME Mission Statement for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The IU School of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education values diversity in race, gender, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, perspectives and opinions among other identities.

Diversity enriches our individual experiences; helps us grow as kind and empathetic human beings; and advances excellence in all our missions. Alongside each of you, we are committed to courageously, collaboratively, and continuously working towards building infrastructures that are accountable and environments that are diverse, inclusive and respectful towards all.

Together we will strive towards creating an institution where everyone thrives and feels seen; where we are recognized leaders in diversity and equity in patient care, scholarship, education, and advocacy—and we are proud of the role we all play in moving the world forward.

a venn diagram showing the overlap of the three areas of DEI work: representational diversity, inclusive environment, and cultural humility and antiracism
a collection of different puzzle pieces not connected

Representational Diversity

GME believes that a learning environment with greater representation of person with diverse backgrounds and perspectives fosters innovative ideas and a deeper appreciation for the diversity of learners, patients, colleagues, and the communities that surround us.

Inclusive Climate

GME sees the importance of bringing diverse voices together and incorporating those voices into all of our functional areas and institutional policies. To achieve its mission, all members of the IU School of Medicine community must feel included, valued, and respected.

Cultural Competence Education

GME recognizes its responsibility to develop future physicians who possess the knowledge and skills necessary to provide excellent patient-centered health care and eliminate health care disparities.

GME Diversity Framework

The IU School of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education diversity framework serves as a road map for the IU School of Medicine residency and fellowship programs as they continue their commitment to improving the diversity of their trainees and faculty members, including those in leadership positions, to better reflect the state of the population we serve. A work and learning environment with a greater representation of persons from diverse backgrounds fosters innovative ideas and a deeper appreciation for the diversity of learners, patients, colleagues, and the communities that surround us. The IU School of Medicine Office of Graduate Medical Education diversity framework highlights the need to implement diversity, equity and inclusion training programs and educational curricula that will provide trainees and faculty with the insights and the techniques they need to build relationships of mutual respect for each other and those they serve. The framework helps prepare trainees and faculty to address racism in medicine, health care disparities, biases, and mistreatment among others.

Building the Pipeline 

  • Advocacy

  • Outreach

  • Community partnerships

  • Participation in regional and national meetings of student-run organizations that focus on students 
    underrepresented in medicine

Recruitment

  • Review recruitment processes to include holistic review for all candidates 

  • Transparency in recruiting processes and outcomes

  • Employ strategies to attract diverse candidates (including social media)

  • Emphasize recruitment from IU School of Medicine students underrepresented in medicine

Retention

  • Through inclusion and safety, create infrastructure to diversify the evaluation of trainees underrepresented in medicine

  • Build mechanisms to support trainees underrepresented in medicinetrainees across the continuum of their careers

Culture

  • Infuse DEI in all our offerings: learning objectives for all didactics, core curricula, Mortality & Morbidity conferences, mission statements, research conferences, grand rounds, journal clubs, book clubs, profiles, awards, celebrations, advocacy, and outreach efforts

Processes

  • Assess maternity, paternity, adoption, leave, and mistreatment policies

  • Review criteria for appointments and awards

  • Establish antibias curricular and educational offering review team

Spaces (Physical and Virtual)

  • Environmental scan of offices/websites to ensure they are free of stereotyping primers and intentional about language pronouns

People

  • Antibias, antiracist, bystander training for learners, staff, RNs, and leadership

  • Mentorship pathways

  • Inclusive language

  • DEI scholarship, training or service grants

  • Diversify evaluation methods

  • Provide resources to ensure learner success

Transparent Data Availability

  • Create processes to capture data on learners, faculty, leaders, award recipients, success/outcomes of URiM trainees

  • Create transparency page

  • Add DEI to annual review and exit surveys

  • Conduct GME current state and gap analyses

Accountable Infrastructure

  • DEI committee for each program

  • Annual GME review of goals and progress

  • DEI chief residents

  • Bias review

DEI as a Perpetual Priority

  • Commit resources annually 

  • Align GME, health systems, IU School of Medicine, and practices to disrupt silos and create shared vision/approach

Specific DEI Training

  • Invest in leadership training and antibias/antiracist training 

DEI Scholarship

  • Create funding opportunities to foster scholarship, quality improvement, and mentorship around bias, antiracism, health equity, and racism education

  • Support community-engaged research and develop service-learning scholarship

Focus on Bias

  • Learning objectives for didactics, core curricula, and grand rounds

Data Availability 

  • Race, language, ethnicity, socioeconomic, immigration, gender, and LGBTQ status breakdowns for outcomes

GME DEIJ Toolkit

The GME Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEIJ) Toolkit provides programs and trainees with DEIJ definitions, resources, training modules/videos and best practices to support IU School of Medicine’s transformational change towards embodying a place where everyone feels welcome, supported, included and valued.

Explore the GME DEIJ Toolkit

Recruitment and Retention Spotlight

Diversity in the health care workforce promotes more culturally responsive care, improves access to high-quality health care for underserved populations, and broadens research agendas in medicine. Below are a few important IU School of Medicine diversity initiatives that are supported by the GME Diversity Framework. These initiatives foster a welcoming environment for diverse applicants and invest in current, underrepresented in medicine trainees and faculty.

Broadly, Indiana University is investing in faculty diversity hiring. Recruitment and retention initiatives for learners and faculty underrepresented in medicine are available across the medical education continuum at IU School of Medicine.

  • Qualified third-year and fourth-year medical students can participate in the Inclusive Excellence Visiting Elective Program to learn about opportunities in academic medicine at IU School of Medicine.
  • Qualified applicants to IU School of Medicine GME programs can apply for the “Second Look” program to receive funding to support a second visit.
  • Residents interested in fellowship training at IU School of Medicine can complete an Inclusive Excellence Visiting Residency rotation to spend time at IU School of Medicine facilities.
  • Following GME training, underrepresented minority faculty can participate in the Program to Launch Underrepresented in Medicine Success (PLUS), which is designed to retain and promote high-talent faculty.
  • Three Incentivizing Diverse Recruitment for Equity in Academic Medicine (iDREAM) programs aim to enhance representational diversity among the physician workforce.
    • iDREAM Resident Scholars Program is designed to support underrepresented in medicine residents to launch careers in academic medicine.
    • iDREAM Early Incentive Program offers incentives to recruit diverse talent into faculty positions at IU School of Medicine in partnership with clinical affiliates, IU Health and Eskenazi Health.
    • iDREAM PLUS Programs for attending physicians support professional development for career advancement to develop diverse leadership for IU School of Medicine and affiliated health systems.

Each fall, the Office of Graduate Medical Education in collaboration with the Center for Inclusive Excellence hosts a virtual open house on diversity, equity and inclusion in residencies/fellowships at the IU School of Medicine. The open house is open to all residency and fellowship applicants, but will be specifically geared towards underrepresented in medicine applicants.

The Dr. Chaniece Wallace Health Care Disparity Research Award

The Dr. Chaniece Wallace Health Care Disparity Research Award annually recognizes one resident or fellow at IU School of Medicine who throughout their training has shown commitment to addressing health care disparities and inequities through their research and community outreach. This award memorializes the late Chaniece Wallace, MD, and her life’s work. It enables our community to carry the torch in her honor, in hopes of eliminating health disparities.

Chaniece Wallace, MD, was a beloved Pediatric Chief Resident at IU School of Medicine. Dr. Wallace passed away on October 24, 2020 from postpartum complications following the delivery of her daughter at 35 weeks.

As a pediatrician, Dr. Wallace was passionate about a career in primary care with a focus on serving and empowering those in underserved communities. Dr. Wallace recognized the importance of addressing health disparities within the healthcare system. Known as a doer by those who had the opportunity to work with her and experience her infectious spirit, she was committed to doing this noble work while encouraging others to identify ways they could do the same.

For more information regarding the Dr. Chaniece Wallace Health Care Disparity Research Award, contact the Office of Graduate Medical Education.

Diversity Committees

GMEC Diversity Subcommittee

The GMEC Diversity Subcommittee consists of faculty and resident representatives from all core programs. The committee is charged with overseeing the ACGME core program requirements on diversity as it pertains to:

  • Recruitment and retention of residents and fellows underrepresented in medicine
  • Climate and the clinical learning environment
  • Cultural competency training
  • Health care disparities education as well as integration of health disparities information into educational programs, clinical conferences and research opportunities

Multicultural Physicians' Alliance

The IU School of Medicine Multicultural Physicians' Alliance (MPA) works to improve diversity, equity and inclusion among residents and fellows by fostering an environment for professional development and a culture of inclusivity. The MPA prioritizes efforts around four foundational pillars:

  1. Professional Development
  2. Recruitment
  3. Community Engagement
  4. Retention