October 28, 2022 College of Medicine recognized nationally for diversity and inclusion efforts

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For the second consecutive year, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine has received the 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — the UK College of Medicine will be featured, along with 64 other recipients, in the December 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

“It is an honor for the College of Medicine to once again be recognized for our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, which are core components of our mission,” said Stephanie White, MD, MS, acting associate dean for diversity and inclusion and senior associate dean for medical student education. “Our continued progress is crucial for the advancement of education, clinical care, and research in the Commonwealth and beyond. Prestigious honors like these demonstrate that our work is making a difference for our trainees, faculty, staff, and the health of Kentuckians.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected the UK College of Medicine for its unwavering commitment to inclusive excellence, with efforts led by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and in collaboration with University groups such as the UK Office for Institutional Diversity.

Examples of the college’s recent successes include:

• Restructuring the college’s Diversity and Inclusion Ambassadors program to enhance program development, recruitment, and trainee success within departments and centers, while forging important cross-departmental collaborations.
• Partnering with community organizations including the Black Male Working Academy to promote Black Boys and Men in Medicine (BBAMM), a mentorship pipeline program to address the crises of the underrepresentation of Black men in medicine.
• Launching ODEI’s inclusive education curriculum, a multi-part framework to engage faculty, staff, and learners and explore issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion through speakers, media content, and connection. 
• Hosting a biomedical research workforce mini-retreat with faculty and staff leaders of research programs to discuss funding opportunities and identify needs and opportunities for continued support. This mini-retreat brought stakeholders from across the college to explore avenues to enhance recruitment efforts and improve our competitiveness for future diverse faculty, students, staff, and trainees.
• Continuing the development of LGBTQ+ educational programming through leadership from the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, including the mentoring program and the college’s annual Pride Week, which holds celebratory and educational events and programs.
• Expanding ODEI and other DEI leadership positions across the college including the addition of a vice dean for diversity and inclusion, to ensure prioritization of DEI initiatives and equity among all aspects of the college’s mission. This also includes creating a position, the assistant dean for inclusive research initiatives, to work with college leadership to develop strategies for improved recruitment and retention of underrepresented students, fellows, and faculty in research and support stairway programs to propagate a diverse biomedical workforce.
• Facilitating funding opportunities to support faculty hires, departmental programming, pathway programs, community engagement, and research.

“The Health Professions HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees — and best practices for both — continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion,” said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. “We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for schools where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being done every day across their campus.”

For more information about the 2022 Health Professions HEED Award, along with a full list of recipients, visit insightintodiversity.com.

For more information about the UK College of Medicine, visit medicine.uky.edu.