Our Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce members met for the second time this week to hammer out next steps in their mission to further the diversity and inclusion initiatives at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM). The group has agreed to prioritize a review of current University demographics that will feed a database dashboard of our student body, faculty, leadership and colleagues.
The taskforce will also develop a diversity and equity survey for the entire RUSM community to gauge experiences with racism, discrimination, harassment, bullying and inclusion. The survey will be anonymous, and results will be shared with leadership.
Overall goals for the taskforce include:
- Promote equity in educational pathways to health and science careers
- Increase the diversity of the leadership, faculty and students
- Integrate cultural competence and population health within health professions education
- Graduate health professionals who will work with medically underserved populations to increase and improve access to care
- Realize a culture and climate free from racism, discrimination, implicit and explicit forms of bias, and to manifest inclusiveness
Meet the Taskforce Facilitator
Over the next few months, we will introduce you to those on our taskforce. We invite you to first learn about our taskforce facilitator, Dexter Francis.
Though he only joined RUSM 18 months ago, colleague Dexter Francis, MBA, MPM, has been woven into the fabric of the University since the early 2000s. And now, he is charged with one of the most prominent, critical and toughest tasks at hand — facilitating the newly formed 16-member Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce to ensure RUSM further embraces a truly inclusive culture and climate for students, faculty and colleagues as well as continues to graduate culturally aware physicians who mitigate social injustice for marginalized patients.
“We face many problems as a society, problems that we need to address as a community,” said the coordinator of campus programs in the Department of Student Affairs. “There are inequities and disparities in healthcare outcomes for underrepresented minorities. As individuals, we need to self-reflect, accept where we are and what we need to change, and commit to act. Forgiving and acknowledging is the way forward. I want Ross University to be the stellar example of a university with a body of colleagues who are the vanguard of social change, an example of true inclusiveness and a place where acceptance is a lived experience for everyone — a truly human institution.”
Read more of Dexter’s story on our Social Justice Commitment page.
Please continue to collaborate with us and share your feedback as we bring awareness to this deep-rooted and profound public-health crisis. We look forward to working together.