DEI Blog

Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month is Sept 15 - Oct 15, and we encourage everyone to take time to celebrate. Read on to learn more about this event's history and local ways to celebrate. July, August, and September contain many Cultural holidays and celebrations, including Native American Day.  

SubCommittee 5 within the DPHS DEI Committee addresses the integration of DEI principals into teaching and learning at DPHS. This work includes: integrating DEI principals into the admissions committee process, establishing the BRIDGE Program to link students from marginalized groups with DPHS faculty and training programs, conducting a gap analysis of the first-year Master's program curriculum and implementing study findings, creating resource lists, and offering trainings/orientations for trainees. 

SubCommittee 2 within the DPHS DEI Committee addresses the lack of racial/ethnic diversity among faculty and staff, as well as a lack of trust and transparency in the process. This subcommittee has focused on the staff hiring process, recently launching the Staff Hiring Toolkit, and is now focusing on other facets of DEI work regarding hiring, promotion, and retention.

SubCommittee 4 within the DPHS DEI Committee clarifies the steps to report experiences or observations of microaggression or discrimination. This subcommittee has developed a Reporting Structures Infographic with live links to resources and a process to provide two-way feedback between supervisors and direct reports, faculty, and staff. This subcommittee has also started centralizing the DPHS DEI Committee's metrics and evaluation processes.

The DEI Committee will be hosting three Roundtable Discussion Events following the topics of three of the DEI Foundational Trainings. SubCommittee #3 has created LMS Courses for each of the trainings which can be references ahead of each of the discussions.

SubCommittee 3 within the DPHS DEI Committee addresses the lack of knowledge on foundational DEI principles. This subcommittee focuses on organizing DEI educational offerings, including the DEI Foundational Series.

SubCommittee 1 within the DPHS DEI Committee addresses an insufficient sense of community and a lack of trust in the department in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as insufficient safe spaces for all identities. This subcommittee organizes community-building-focused events on a quarterly basis and creates the quarterly DEI Newsletter. They are also pursuing setting up gender-neutral bathroom(s) and increasing office accessibility for differently-abled employees and visitors. Historically, SubCommittee 1 was two separate groups before SubCommittee 1 & 5 merged to better accomplish their goals SubCommittee 5 previously established a Wellness/Lactation Room within our building, presented to the department on Understanding Gender Pronouns and Gender Identities, and collaborated with SubCommittee 1 to host events that help create safe spaces.

The DEI Committee would like to invite you to a Virtual Happy Hour/Pride Musical Bingo event in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride month!

We have curated a playlist of LGBTQ+ artists, spanning through the years and across different genres to test your knowledge of LGBTQ+ music. LGBTQ+ artists haven’t always been as visible as they are today, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t always there – and always a vital part of pop music and the cultural fabric, and we want to celebrate that and so much more with you! Join us on June 25, 2021, at 4:00 - 5:00pm.

One of DPHS' Master's students, Aikya Soni, presented a mixed-methods analysis of inclusive pedagogy. The presentation was created as part of the first-year population health sciences' curriculum. View Aikya's presentation.

 

The May newsletter features Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Bystander Intervention Training opportunities, New & Former DEI Committee members, key dates in May & June, Ways to Celebrate Pride Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, and Announcements. Read the full newsletter!