Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
We value diversity in each of our divisions and training programs and are aware of all aspects of human differences such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, disability and age.
Diversity improves the educational experience, strengthens our team, makes us more effective problem solvers, and helps us take care of our patients from multi-cultural backgrounds.
It is our goal to create an environment that fosters belonging, respect, and value for all.
Cultural Competency Curriculum
What does cultural competency mean?
Cultural competence is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence encompasses: 1) being aware of one's own world view; 2) developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences and 3) gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views.
Why is cultural competency training important?
Cultural competence enhances the ability of teams, team members and organizations to effectively create an environment that meets the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of everyone in the workplace. Cultural competence training methods can enhance transparency between language, values, beliefs, and cultural differences.
What are the five elements of cultural competence:
The five building blocks of cultural competence include: open attitude, self-awareness, awareness of others, cultural knowledge, and cultural skills.
2020 Sessions:
June 23: How to elevate concerns of bias or inappropriate behavior: Ombudsperson, Deans GME & Graduate/Post docs, Academic Affairs, Human Resources
June 30: UP(by) stander training: Dr. Magali Fassiotto, Assistant Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity Stanford University School of Medicine. Watch.
July 7: Strategies to combat bias and increase diversity: Dr. Hannah Valentine, Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity at the United States National Institutes of Health. Watch.
July 27: Wellness Requires Racial Justice: Denise Pines, MBA, President of the Medical Board of California. Watch.
August 18: Responding to being called out for bias: Leslie Chin, MBA
Cultural Complications Curriculum
Every day, patients, physicians and staff are forced to contend with bias in the hospital environment. Although the negative effects of this exposure are increasingly recognized, how to combat it is not well established. Existing zero-tolerance harassment policies often focus more on punishment than education and are not always suited to address the nuances of the patient-doctor relationship or subtle instances of discrimination.
Our Cultural Complications Curriculum has been created to address this deficit. Designed to be presented during standard hospital Morbidity & Mortality conferences, the curriculum covers 12 core themes in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Each data-driven module introduces the audience to key terminology, provides scientific evidence for the concept, and offers sample cases to spur discussion. By leveraging a longitudinal approach that is already familiar to health care workers, we hope to better identify instances of cultural breakdown and establish best practices to address it.
Stanford Surgery Commits to Photo-less Applications. Read the article.
Stanford Surgery staff participate in the 2019 SF PRIDE parade.
Department Unveils New Cultural Competency Curriculum. Read the article.
Fellowships
Samuel L. Kountz Diversity Fellowship in General Surgery - Application Deadline is 5/15
Established in 2008, this fellowship provides a stipend for a senior underrepresented minority student to participate in a sub-internship with Stanford's Division of General Surgery.
Stanford Clinical Opportunity for Residency Experience (SCORE)
SCORE brings fourth-year medical students from diverse backgrounds to Stanford for a four-week residential clinical training program in one of our clinical departments.
Community Programs
Health Career Collaborative
Stanford Surgery faculty, trainees, and staff participate in the Health Career Collaborative with East Palo Alto High School. The three-year program is designed to inspire high school students to pursue careers in health and medicine.
SMASH-Med
Although SMASH Academy is a national program, SMASH-Med is unique to Stanford. The 8-week program exposes students to a range of healthcare careers through a series of interactive, hands-on sessions.
Annual Diversity Lecture
Started in 2016, the Annual Diversity Lecture was created to showcase either diversity/equity/inclusion or professional development. The 2-day visit includes meetings with faculty, residents, and staff as well as additional talks with Stanford Med's Office of Faculty Development and Diversity, Faculty Women’s Forum, and/or other departments. Dr. Wren says she selects the guests based on nationwide search for speakers who are experts in the topic area of choice.
Past Speakers
2018 Col. Jeff Hustchinson, MD
2019 Reshmi Jagsi, MD
2020 Tom Varghese Jr., MD
DEI Award
The Department of Surgery Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Award award is to recognize annually both an individual staff and faculty/resident/fellow/post doc member who has consistently created opportunities for the Department of Surgery to improve diversity/equity/inclusion in the domains of recruitment, retention, inclusion, and advancement. These individuals actively work to promote, value, and increase diversity in our Department. Diversity is defined as including all aspects of human differences such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, disability and age.
Please submit a nomination statement of up to 500 words and 2 letters of support from other department members. Nominations and letters of support must provide specific examples of actions the individual has taken.