Administration SpotLight: Takiesha Brooks

"Takiesha is a highly valued member of our department. She has served as Administrative Coordinator for Nephrology, Coordinator of the Nephrology fellowship program and as Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine. In all her roles, her diligence, spirit of cooperation and upbeat personality have enabled her to interact effectively with and gain the respect and confidence of colleagues at all levels, including fellows and faculty, as well as administrative, managerial, custodial and maintenance staff. If something needs to be done, Takiesha will figure out a way to get it done. " - Dr. David Salant

Job Title:

Executive Assistant to Vice Chair of Research, Active Nephrology Fellowship Coordinator

Location:

650 Albany Street, 8th Floor

How many years have you been at BUSM/BMC?

4 years

What do you do in the Department of Medicine?

Support Dr. David Salant who is the Vice Chair of Research, coordinate meetings, seminars, and host events like Evans Research Days, Dim Sum which celebrates diversity.  Support the Nephrology section as their Fellowship Coordinator by scheduling interviews, helping with onboarding and application for medical licenses for the Fellows.  I also work as the EBRC Building Coordinator by assisting Facilities and coordinating the work being done in the EBRC building.

What do you like best about your job?

Being able to support such talented providers, researchers and colleagues to provide exceptional care to our patients.

Favorite thing to do outside of work?

Spend time with my 5 year old son and my family.

Little known fact:

I briefly worked at the State House with Representative Ms. Gloria Fox and was able to view their decision to legalize same sex marriages in Massachusetts.  I have been in the health care field since 2002 at Children's Hospital then Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 2006.

DOM Spotlight: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

In light of the recent events of the Black Lives Movement and most recently BU's Day of Collective Engagement, the Department of Medicine has made great efforts into improving their way of thinking when it comes to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

I "sat down" with Dr. Angelique Harris, Director of Faculty Development and Diversity and asked her some questions about her team which includes Dr. Emelia Benjamin (Vice Chair, Faculty Development and Diversity) and Dr. Sheila Chapman (Associate Chair, Post Graduate URM Development, Faculty Development and Diversity).

Q: What goals do the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging team hoping to achieve?

A: Our goals are to develop programs, initiatives, and processes to fundamentally shift the culture with the Department of Medicine, thus making the pursuit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at the forefront of the DOM’s research, teaching, clinical, and administrative work and interactions.

Q: Has the Black Lives Matter movement changed your current thinking about diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging? If so, how?

A: I have worked in DEIB work for my entire career, and in terms of my research, I study marginalization. So this movement has not really changed how I think about DEIB at all. It has, however, certainly changed my approach and ability to promote DEIB. The BLM has been around for several years now, it’s gaining increased attention as a result of the impact that COVID has had on Black communities and Floyd’s murder. This increased attention has encouraged/forced people to examine the impact that race and racism has had on their lives and seek out solutions to promote DEIB in their work and personal lives. As a result, I am certainly more optimistic about doing DEIB work than I have been in the past as I think people are really interested in meaningful, impactful, and sustainable change.

Q: Are there any recent activities/initiatives that you would like everyone to know about?

A:   The top initiatives would include:

1. Department Diversity and Land Acknowledgement Statements. These serve as reminders of our values as a department.
2. A DoM Reads Initiative, where we will focus on books pertaining to DEIB. This year the book will be: So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
3. We will be offering bias reduction and bystander intervention trainings.

Q: How can faculty and staff members get more engaged?

A: There are a number of things faculty and staff can do. They can work to better educate themselves about issues of race, racism, and really, discrimination and bias overall. In addition, and perhaps, more importantly, they can commit to actively working to create sustainable solutions to promoting DEIB in all aspects of their lives.