The Diversity Engagement Survey (DES) is a workforce engagement tool that draws upon theoretical components of organizational inclusion. It was developed and validated by the University of Massachusetts Medical School in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
The survey measures the inclusiveness of the academic learning environment and will continue to help identify and measure the IU School of Medicine’s areas of strengths and improvement regarding organizational inclusion. The 22 survey items map onto eight inclusion factors:
- Trust
- Appreciation of individual attributes
- Sense of belonging
- Access to opportunity
- Equitable reward and recognition
- Cultural competence
- Respect
- Common purpose
Built for academic health centers
IU School of Medicine will be one of the 68 academic health centers that uses DES results to inform strategic planning and direction for recruitment, engagement, and retention. In September 2024, over 7,000 medical school faculty, staff, and trainees will be asked to provide feedback on three essential conditions of an inclusive workplace environment: Vison/Purpose, Appreciation, and Camaraderie. All departments will receive local benchmark reports comparing their results to over 170,000 respondents.