Medical Ethics and Health Policy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Goal: Commit to addressing racial and social injustice and promoting health equity solutions through research, education, writing and media.

Activities and Progress

Focused research on health disparities and health equity (samples below and view all our research)

• Developing Evidence-Based Guidance for Engaging Rural Residents in the Deep South in Genomics Research: A Stakeholder-Driven Perspective
• Scholarship in Reproductive Ethics: Centering the Family Planning Needs, Preferences, and Lived Experiences of Marginalized Women- 2020 Change makers in Family Planning
• Awarded three supplements sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), intended to help increase the numbers of underrepresented scientists in biomedical and behavioral research
  • Professor Demetrio Sierra from the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine: neuroethics research
  • Katrina Munoz, former research assistant at Baylor: neuroethics research
  • Amanda Gutierrez, research assistant at Baylor: disparities in cancer genomics
• Led local and national consortium efforts to study communication of genomic information to patients with limited English proficiency through medical interpreters. Goal: address disparities in the quality of health communication.

Quoted in numerous leading, top-tier publications highlighting health disparities (samples below, see all our media here)

• 7 tell-tale red flags of medical gaslighting and how it can lead to a horrifying misdiagnosis
• Mitigating Racial Bias in Machine Learning
• Dr. Faith Fletcher Of The Baylor College Of Medicine: In Light Of The Pandemic, Here Are The 5 Things We Need To Do To Improve The US Healthcare System
• The case for decriminalizing the street sale of buprenorphine

Led development of position statements on behalf of Baylor College of Medicine (samples below, view all our position statements).

• Baylor College of Medicine Identifies Policy and Ethical Implications of Abortion Bans and Prohibitions
• Baylor College of Medicine Highlights Importance of Mental Health and Opportunities to Build Systems and Cultures That Improve Care and Reduce Disparities

Through our UME, GME, and CME programs we educate learners on important DEI issues that intersect ethics and health policy, such as social determinants of health, cultural competency, and bias.

Received accolades for efforts

• Amanda Gutierrez, MPH received Baylor’s Equity Trailblazer Award
• Faith Fletcher, Ph.D. received the first Dr. Claretta Dupree Award for commitment to justice in bioethics at the 2021 American Society of Bioethics and Humanities conference

Goal: Pursue opportunities to engage with local communities by leveraging existing partnerships and forging new ones.

Activities and Progress

• The theme of our 2022 Health and Science Policy Research Day was, "Environmental Justice: How Physical, Social, And Structural Surroundings Impact Health. "This free, virtual event was open to the public and brought in diverse speakers to discuss environmental justice issues directly impacting our communities. Included keynotes from Danielle Deane-Ryan, Ph.D., Director, Equitable Climate Solutions - Bezos Earth Fund and Cedric Taylor, Visiting Associate Professor, Environmental Justice, Water, University of Michigan.
• Hosted BCM's first ever TEDx event, which included diverse speakers internal and external to BCM. A talk by Dr. Ronald Cotton, "Changing Your Mind's Mind: Lessons From A Surgeon In Overcoming Obstacles," described his experience as a minority in the surgical field.
• Hosted interns from local universities, including Prairie View A&M University, Rice University, and UTHealth.
• Partnered with the college to create an internal RFA for pilot research projects relating to DEI,  involved in selection committee to determine awardees.

Goal: Develop and implement a feedback loop mechanism to engage with the center on DEI issues.

Activities and Progress

• Implemented an annual, center-wide survey to solicit feedback on our equity action plan and better understand desired topics and frequency for future DEI trainings and events.
• Created an ad hoc DEI working group to assist DEI ambassadors with their efforts and engage additional members of our center in DEI planning.
• DEI ambassadors sent out mid-year and end-of-year update to all center personnel detailing ongoing progress and next steps.
• DEI ambassadors met quarterly with center leadership to discuss needs, progress and future plans.

Goal: Expand recruitment strategy to focus on reaching applicants from historically underrepresented backgrounds and communities and develop a process to track progress.

Activities and Progress

• Started two summer internship programs, which aim to expand the pipeline of students in bioethics research and clinical ethics. We offered paid internships in a limited capacity in order to increase participation to underrepresented groups.
• Prioritized using center funds for paid job postings on HBCU Job Board..
• Posted most positions on Handshake and compiled email addresses of contacts for relevant graduate programs and student associations.
• Shared job and internship opportunities through the following channels: BCM COATS listserv, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Race Affinity Group, personal communications with colleagues at HBCUs.
• Collected historical applicant demographic data and began discussions with leadership about how to best utilize these data. 

Goal: Institute two-three DEI trainings, workshops and seminars per year on DEI topics of importance as indicated by center personnel.

Activities and Progress

• Hosted Grand Rounds focused on DEI
  • Grand Rounds: "I Want a Doctor Who Looks Like Me!”: Managing Race-Based Patient Requests” featuring April Adams and Jared Rubenstein on Oct. 19, 2022
  • “The Value of Diversity in Healthcare Settings: What it Means and Why it Matters” on Sept. 21, 2021
• Hosted a Q&A session with the DEI office during an all center personnel meeting.
• Hosted three virtual sessions of our speaker series Developing Issues in Bioethics, which focused on topics related to health disparities:
  • Dr. Shameka Thomas: “Examining Black Women’s Perceptions of Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease: Framing a Research Agenda toward Reproductive Equity”
  • Dr. Daphne Martschenko: Schoolhouse Risk: “Genetics & Education in the Context of an Ugly History and Uncertain Future”
  • Dr. Virginia Brown: “Structural Determinants of Health and their Influence on Health and Health Care Outcomes”
• Personnel from our center coordinated bi-monthly meetings of the Social Determinants of Health Journal Club.
• Based on feedback from our center DEI survey, we scheduled two training courses for FY23 for our center: “AAMC Holistic Recruitment” and “Unconscious Implicit Bias.”
• Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds (faculty at IU) lead an AWARE (Allies Welcomed to Advance Racial Equity) session.