Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council

Mission Statement

The Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council of The Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine was created to continue the Department’s commitment to excellence in clinical education and research.

Our goals are:

To provide a comprehensive array of diversity initiatives designed to sensitize trainees and faculty members to multicultural issues.
To ensure students, residents and attending physicians provide culturally sensitive care.
To create an environment of inclusion that welcomes and supports people of varying backgrounds.

Diversity Initiatives

To address our mission, the Department of Medicine and the Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council have implemented several initiatives. Dedicated Grand Rounds are held focusing on an array of issues involving diversity and cultural competence including barriers to care, international health and health disparities. Residents are encouraged to participate in continuity clinics and other rotations that are designed to promote cultural competence both in Chicago and internationally. The Council is currently developing several community service activities for residents and faculty as well.

Click here to read about Council members

Outreach and Recruitment Activities

The Diversity Council actively recruits for the medicine residency program at several venues each year. In the past we have attended SNMA regional and national meetings, AAMC national meetings, and also visited campuses such as Howard University. In addition to recruitment, the council plans a residency information panel for local students each year to provide comprehensive information about applying to and succeeding in residency.

In the spring of 2011, Diversity Council Members traveled to Indianapolis to the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) Annual Medical Education Conference to meet students from around the country. Click here to view more photos from the event.

“The Department of Medicine at Northwestern is strongly committed to diversity as a means to strengthen the talent of our trainees and faculty.”

— Douglas E. Vaughan, MD
Chairman, Department of Medicine

Recent Events:

McGaw Residency Showcase

Northwestern McGaw Center for Graduate Medical Education and the Feinberg School of Medicine, in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, recently held the 5th Annual Residency Showcase. The event was prepared for current medical students interested in pursuing residency training at Northwestern. After welcoming remarks and a panel discussion, residents from the Internal Medicine program joined faculty members Stevie Mazyck, Keenan Hawkins, Clyde Yance, and Aashish Didwania to greet and chat with students about program highlights and structure.

Diversity Council Hosts Dr. David Wilkes for MGR and Noon Conference

The Department of Medicine Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council recently hosted Dr. David S. Wilkes for Medical Grand Rounds and a special noon conference.

His Medical Grand Rounds talk focused on translational research on chronic lung disease and lung transplantation. During the highly attended noon conference, Dr. Wilkes talked to faculty, fellows, residents, students, and staff about how to develop a career in academic internal medicine.

Dr. Wilkes joins us from Indiana University School of Medicine where he is Director of the Center for Immunobiology and Executive Associate Dean for Research Affairs. Dr. Wilkes received his MD and internal medicine training at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA followed by fellowship training in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at UT-Southwestern, remaining on faculty there until 1992.

Dr. Wilkes has established himself as a leader in the field of lung transplant immunobiology while also dedicating himself to the mentorship of trainees serving as PI for both an institutional T32 NIH training grant as well as an NIH-funded T35 grant to support the mentorship of minority students in the field of biomedical research. He has mentored over 20 physician-scientists, serving as Co-PI on multiple NIH career development awards, and is the current director of the Physician Scientist Initiative at Indiana University, a $60-million grant to support the recruitment and development of physician-scientists.

Diversity Seminar with Chicago Area Medical Students

The Northwestern McGaw Underrepresented Resident & Fellow Forum (NMURFF) hosted a seminar for medical students in all years of training from Student National Medical Association and Latino Medical Student Association chapters from all Chicago medical schools. It was an open forum for students to ask questions about residency including: the application process; how to prepare applications; how to seek mentorship prior to and during residency; and what to expect during life as a resident. Hosting this unique seminar allows NU to stand out among other Chicago-area programs. According to Dr. Keenan Hawkins, co-chair of the Department of Medicine's Diversity and Cultural Affairs Council, "I am sure that the students left with an incredible amount of insight that they did not already have." Internal Medicine residents Rachel Issaka, Ike Okwuosa, Tonye Teme, and Lakiea Wright along with faculty members Stevie Mazyck, Keenan Hawkins, and Peter Sporn were in attendance.

Diversity Council Meeting with Dr. Andrea Reid

Dr. Andrea Reid is a prominent academic hepatologist and national leader in the areas of health disparities in liver transplantation as well as hepatitis C. Until recently, she was Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Harvard Medical School and GI Fellowship Program Director at Massachusetts General Hospital. During her time at MGH, she was the recipient of several awards for teaching and mentorship, including the Excellence in Mentoring of Under-represented Minorities Award from Harvard Medical School.

She distinguished herself as a leader and advocate for under-represented minorities on both the local and national level, including her continued service for several years as Chair of the Committee on Under-represented Minorities for the American Gastroenterological Association. Recently, her husband accepted a job "he couldn't refuse" in Washington, DC, and she has transitioned with him and their three children. She currently serves as a hepatologist at the Washington, DC Veteran's Affairs Hospital.

The council meeting was an informal session for faculty, residents, and fellows with the objective of providing an opportunity for all attendees to learn from Dr. Reid's experiences and accomplishements.

Diversity Council Meeting with Dr. Clyde Yancy

Other recent Diversity Council sponsored lectures:

Guadalupe Garcia-Tsao, MD, Chief, Section of Digestive Diseases (VA-Connecticut Healthcare System) "Cirrhosis and Its Complications"
Pedro Avila, MD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine) "Mechanism of Asthma Exacerbations"
Yvonne Romero, MD (Mayo Clinic) “Overcoming barriers to a career in academic medicine: a personal account”
Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH (John’s Hopkins School of Public Health), DOM Grand Rounds "Sleep loss: A risk factor for obesity and diabetes"
Harvey Feinberg, MD, Ph.D (Harvard School of Public Health), DOM Grand Rounds "Efficiency and Quality in Health Care"
Valerie Stone, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, "Optimizing Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV/AIDS"
Floyd Malveaux, MD, PhD, Howard University, "Morbidity of Asthma in the Medically Underserved"
James Earl King Hildreth, MD, PhD, Director, Comprehensive Center for Health Disparities Research in HIV, Meharry Medical College, School of Medicine, "Chemical Condoms for AIDS Prophylaxis: A Novel Approach Based on Cholesterol Sequestration"

Click here to learn more about the Feinberg School of Medicine Office of Diversity. We encourage you to visit the new website and to stop by the Office of Diversity (303 E. Chicago, Morton building 1-658) to learn more.