The City of New Orleans is one of the few cities in America where Black Americans make up a majority of its citizenry. It is also, according to the most recent data, a city in which 33% of the Black population is below the poverty line. There are without question, healthcare disparities that disproportionately effect this city's Black and Non-White population. Tulane residents work in the major safety net hospitals of this city, which means a large majority of the patients we see are Non-white, with a predominant portion of our patients being Black Americans.
In order to serve our population, it is important that our residency class reflects the diversity of the patients we see. We here at Tulane are passionately committed to recruiting the best and the brightest residents, and to us that means we search for a class that represents diverse ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation and religious backgrounds.
In 2018 the Committee for Diversity and Community Engagement was created. It is a resident run committee with core faculty support, that was created to foster a diverse and inclusive learning environment for our residents. We have more information about the committee below and its mission.
The Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion in our residency improves education and reflects the ever-evolving world of medicine. Part of being a good physician is understanding our patients' barriers to care and providing service to a diverse population. We are committed to addressing health disparities via clinical commitments, research commitments and community outreach.
We are a work in progress. Tulane doctors have been caring for the people of New Orleans and the surrounding areas since 1834. Our complex history is filled with examples when we have proudly served our community, and painful examples of when we have fallen short.
By recruiting supporting and retaining a diverse workforce we seek to have a residency that reflects the rich diversity of race, gender, religious belief, national origin, ethnicity, age, ability, and sexual orientation found in the unique community and culture of New Orleans.
We understand the importance of providing a training environment intolerant of discrimination against any individual based on race, gender, religious belief, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, gender, or sexual orientation. It is our goal that all residents including members from groups that have been historically marginalized and underrepresented in medicine are provided with equal access to opportunities for professional growth and advancement.
Who we are:
As Tulane residents we are tasked with caring for the vibrant population of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. The mission of our committee is to help our program continue to grow more reflective of this patient population as well as to bridge the divide between our community and ourselves.
Our Areas of Interest
- Diversity: New Orleans is home to a brilliant variety of people from different ethnicities, religions, and economic backgrounds. The more our residency program reflects this diversity, the stronger our team will be.
- Community Engagement: In recognition of the privilege it is to serve the people of New Orleans, we hope to build ties and trust with the people of our city. This component has three core elements: seeking feedback from our patients and communities, cultivating an understanding of the historical and social context that has shaped our city and finally, meeting our patients where they are, outside the walls of our three hospitals.
- Respect: We recognize that our words and actions convey the respect we have for our patients. From our conversations with colleagues to the improvement of the language interpreter services, we aim to be evidence that respect in our day to day care.
What we do:
- Develop resident curriculum on diversity and community engagement including guest speaker from both the university and community.
- Build an understanding of the historical roots and practical implications of our city's history leading to health care disparities in our patient population.
- Serve as liaison to connect residents with community programs for high school and college-aged students interested in the medical field to serve as mentors inspiring the next generation of New Orleans health care providers.
- Assist throughout the recruitment process to build an increasingly diverse residency program.
- Connect with local community leaders to develop priorities for future projects.
- Partner with our hospitals to improve our translation services, such that we provide the same standard of care regardless of a patient's birth language.
Graduate Medical Education - Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Statement
