Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

We also serve a diverse patient population and believe that our workforce should reflect the community that we serve. We are committed to delivering high-quality care to our patients and engage a diverse workforce that provides culturally competent and family-centered care.

Our program is focused on several areas of development: 

Recruitment

We have implemented changes in the recruitment process for faculty, residents, and fellows that enhance diverse pools and mitigate bias during the recruitment process. Our goal is to build a more diverse community of backgrounds, thought, and experiences. 

Training

We are implementing training activities for residents, fellows, and faculty that address implicit bias, microaggressions, and empathic communication. We are also creating and collaborating with existing pipeline programs for undergraduate students, medical students, and clinician scholars interested in pursuing careers in the health sciences. 

New e-Courses Available

Five new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) e-courses are now available via the UC Learning Center.  These courses were developed to help broaden understanding of important DEI concepts as well as share real-world experiences.  To take advantage of the self-paced training at your convenience, click on each corresponding link below to launch and begin the course:

• Course 1: Workplace Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Action 
• Course 2: Moving from Bias to Inclusion in a DEI Journey 
• Course 3: Recognizing and Addressing Micro-behaviors in the Workplace 
• Course 4: Adopting an Inclusion Mindset at Work 
• Course 5: Becoming a DEI Ally and Agent for Change 

Faculty Development

We work closely with the Women in Pediatrics group to provide workshops and forums that promote women in their academic productivity, career development, leadership and advancement. Through mentoring, sponsorship, support and advocacy, we work to foster an inclusive environment and engage faculty in several networking opportunities. We are working to provide all members of our community similar opportunities regardless of gender identity, cultural/ethnic background, and training level. We continue to work with the Departmental and Health Sciences Office of Faculty Affairs to create mentorship opportunities that foster academic excellence and support for career development.

Advancement and Retention

We have worked to increase understanding and transparency in the advancement and promotions process. We strive to create equity in salary and resource distribution.  

Throughout these activities, we encourage involvement from our community. The Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion elicits feedback from faculty and trainees to better understand the issues, collect data, and create solutions. Programs will be evaluated and results shared with the larger community. Please contact Dr. Rhee if you are interested in becoming more involved. 

Our program works closely with several groups on campus including the UCSD Office of Faculty Affairs and Office for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to promote campus wide activities and opportunities.  

Vice Chair of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

Dr. Kyung (Kay) Rhee assumed the role of Vice Chair of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the UCSD Department of Pediatrics in 2019. Dr. Rhee has a Masters in Sociology and a Masters in Epidemiology, and has been passionate about creating a culture of inclusion in the department that welcomes diversity and promotes equity amongst all groups. She was the previous chair of the Women in Pediatrics group, and recently became the Associate Director of the Master Clinician Program in the Center for Mentorship in Medicine at the UCSD Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. Empathy is a key component in breaking down barriers and creating a culture of inclusion and compassion. Dr. Rhee is a strong proponent of working across disciplines and groups to create a more robust and effective means to promote diversity, social justice, and anti-racist policies.