Our Committment
Consistent with Baylor College of Medicine's mission, vision, and values, the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences recognizes the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in mental and physical health.
The department is committed to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into its' missions of developing and engaging in world-class research, top quality training, and educating future leaders in the fields of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, while also providing exceptional clinical care in multiple settings throughout the city of Houston and Harris County. We also recognize that historical inequities have disproportionately affected several communities, and to achieve equity we will continue to work toward dismantling systematic biases within various systems, including health care.
This work is ongoing, and though we are not where we want to be yet, we are trying to move in the right direction as individuals, a department, an institution, and community.
Inclusion and Equity Ambassadors
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences has designated faculty inclusion ambassadors who lead the department’s efforts.
If you have questions or would like to get involved with the our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and activities, contact our ambassadors below.
Hai Le, M.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
Jesus-Martin Maldonado-Duran, M.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
Jose Antonio Ribas Roca, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
John Saunders, M.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
Daryl Shorter, M.D.
Associate Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
Beenish Syed, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Inclusion and Equity Ambassador
Our Institution
Baylor College of Medicine is a world-class research institution and academic center situated in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. The Office of Community Engagement & Health Equity has activities and programs, which all can participate in.
Our DEI Committee Vision
The vision of the DEI Committee is to constantly move the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Baylor College of Medicine toward a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment, with an understanding that strengthening these values of diversity, equity, and inclusion fosters the department’s missions to provide compassionate and exceptional clinical care, advance clinical research, and generate educational and training opportunities that prepare our next generation of providers for prominent positions nationally and internationally.
Committee Objectives
- Develop and maintain system for data acquisition and analysis for systematic review of DEI goals
- Review barriers to increasing diversity within the department and outline strategies to address those barriers
- Coordinate within each affiliate ways to implement strategies identified to increase promotion and retention
- Develop departmental DEI events activities
- Periodic reviews of active trainings available within the department
Committee Members
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Focused Grand Rounds 2022
The following grand round sessions were held during 2022 with the purpose of education, awareness and sharing of ideas around the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion with department faculty, trainees and staff.
| Topic | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|
|
Impact of Social and Cultural Issues on the Asian American and Pacific Islander Community and Recommendations for Mental Health Treatment |
Rose Yang, Psy.D., Phuong Nguyen, Ph.D. |
|
A Boost for Behavioral Health in Texas: Improving Access to Children's Mental Health Care via Child Psychiatry Access Network and Texas Child Health Access thru Telemedicine |
Amy Goetz, Ph.D., Lauren Havel, M.D., Asna Matin, M.D. |
|
Navigating the Intersection of Religion, Gender, and Sex in the Clinical Setting |
Kerry Horrell, Ph.D. |
|
Examination of Race and Culture Bound Syndromes in Psychiatry |
Michael McClam, M.D., John Saunders, M.D. |
|
The Ethics of Responding to Microaggressions and Discriminatory Requests |
Ali Abbas Asghar-Ali, M.D., David Wittkower, M.A. |
|
Creating an LGBTQ+ Affirming Environment to Improve Mental Health Care for LGBTQ+ |
Michael R. Kauth, Ph.D. |
|
The Impact of Climate Change on Mental Health: A Primer for Psychiatric Educators |
Andreea Seritan, M.D. |
| Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health: Understanding Prolonged Grief Disorder in the Context of Traumatic Loss | Jonathan Blassingame, III, Ph.D., John Saunders, M.D., LaVonya Bennett, Ph.D. |
| Detecting and Undoing Racial Bias in the Delivery of Electroconvulsive Therapy | Carmen Black, M.D. |
| Internal and External Barriers to Healthcare: An Overview of Health Equity for Women | Kerry Horrell, Ph.D., Elizabeth Laney, Ph.D. |
| Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Substance Use Disorder Development and Treatment Outcomes | Daryl Shorter, M.D. |
| Pregnancy Termination: What Psychiatrists Need to Know | Karen Horst, M.D., Alison Goulding, M.D. |
Our Mission Based Initiatives
The following are Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives that are aligned with the four missions of Baylor College of Medicine. View information on each area below:
Texas Mental Health Equity Mentorship Network
In 2007, the TMHEMN (formerly known as the Texas Regional Mental Health Minority Mentor Network) became a regional extension of the American Psychiatric Association's National Minority Fellowship Programs. This is currently the Texas Mental Health Equity Mentorship Network, Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas Health Sciences Center-Houston originally joined in this collaborative effort. Subsequently, the network expanded to include The University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio and Texas A&M Health Science Center.
Current Network Goals
- Create educational, mentoring and career opportunities for mental health trainees and or faculty who are members of under-served or under-represented ethnic groups.
- Support programming that assists with the elimination of mental health and other health disparities.
- Promote the acquisition of cultural competency in all areas of medical education and mental health training: medical school, psychiatry, and psychology training, and continuing education for psychiatry, psychology, and social work.
