GIM at the 2025 Department of Medicine DEIA Week
Last week, the Department of Medicine (DOM) held the second annual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Week, hosting speakers and highlighting the ongoing DEIA work of DOM faculty, staff, and trainees. At a showcase on Monday, posters and oral presentations illustrated impactful DEIA work in the areas of research, education, programming, patient care, and beyond. Faculty, staff, and trainees from the Section of General Internal Medicine were represented among the presenters, including Jules Canfield, MPH and Julia Bentley, MPH, who presented on “Creating Calm in Crosstown: A Diverse, Inclusive, and Community-Oriented Employee Wellness Initiative.” Associate Professor and epidemiologist Kaku So-Armah, PhD attended the showcase to present on the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP), which is a service that consults on research aiming to achieve racial equity in substance use outcomes and treatment for Black people.
The DEIA week activities continued with a panel on “Molding a Culture: Turning Intention into Action,” followed by discussions on actionable ways to promote DEIA in daily life. On Wednesday, Associate Professor Carl Streed Jr., MD, MPH & guest speaker Jessica Halem, MBA presented “A Legacy of Cruelty to Sexual and Gender Minority Groups” at the Section of General Internal Medicine Grand Rounds. The presentation described how medicine has affected LGBTQ+ people historically, the modern movement for LGBTQ+ rights, and the current political climate affecting LGBTQ+ people.
DEIA Week concluded with DOM Grand Rounds, an illuminating discussion and presentation on “Conversations on Accessibility” with Lisa I. Iezzoni, MD, MSc, a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Thank you to the DOM, panelists and speakers, presenters, and attendees for a successful, second annual DEIA week!
Looking for opportunities to continue these conversations? The inaugural summit Thriving Together: Advancing Health, Cultivating Leaders, and Collaborating on Community Solutions will be hosted by Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, and People Power Health on Friday, April 25. The summit will bring together a group of deeply committed community partners and emerging health professional leaders to share best practices and cement collaborations for improving community health and health care access in the Greater Boston Area. The summit is a great opportunity for trainees to showcase their health equity work and continue conversations on closing health gaps and fostering community solutions. Submit abstracts for the summit here by Monday, March 31.