A Resident-Led Initiative to Advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism in a Pediatrics Residency Program.

Abstract

A racially and ethnically diverse physician workforce is critical to meeting the needs of the United States' increasingly diverse patient population. Unfortunately, Black, Latinx, American Indian, and Alaska Native communities remain underrepresented in medicine. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic by race/ethnicity and increased public attention to anti-Black and anti-Asian racism have inspired a growing national discourse on addressing systemic racism. Within academic medicine, there has been a call for the fundamental incorporation of antiracism into medical training and professional competency. From the perspective of a group primarily led by residents who are women of color, we describe our 6 years of experience leading a Diversity Committee that catalyzed sustained and systemic efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and antiracism at a large urban pediatrics residency program. We outline the implementation and key outcomes of the Diversity Committee's ongoing initiatives to increase resident diversity, foster an inclusive learning environment, develop a resident curriculum on DEI and antiracism, and center the needs and wisdom of the communities that our institution serves. Finally, we highlight challenges and lessons learned to inform other institutions striving to advance DEI and antiracism in academic medicine.