A workforce that reflects the patients we serve and embraces our community is crucial to the well-being of our medical program. We strive to be part of the long-overdue and necessary changes to the medical profession. As we work to transform our field into one that is worthy of the trust of our community and all who work in healthcare, we support a culture of:
- Creating an increasingly welcoming environment.
- Examining policies through the lens of public health and community outcomes.
- Advancing critical consciousness including sociopolitical awareness and historical knowledge.
- Demonstrating accountability.
- Challenging the status quo.
- Embodying a spirit of humility, respect, and genuineness.
Learn more about social impact and belonging in the Department of Pediatrics.
Education for Change
Our pediatric residents participate in a longitudinal curriculum on social justice, encompassing approximately 30 hours of formal content during conferences and additional content integrated into rotations.
Departmental and Institutional Initiatives
Social Impact and Belonging Committee
This departmental committee consists of several sub committees dedicated to work in various areas including education, research, and Health Equity Rounds. Residents are welcome to join. Upcoming activities include:
- Department-wide First Nations Cultural Landscape Tour
- Health Equity Rounds presentations
- Division-level educational support
Director of Social Impact and Belonging
When the Department of Pediatrics embarked on its strategic planning process in the summer of 2018, faculty and staff agreed that creating a culture where people and ideas thrived was a top priority. This process led to the creation of a strategic planning workgroup and later a taskforce. The taskforce, which sought to heighten the department’s focus on action-based work, also identified a point of advocacy: the need for a dedicated director position to lead efforts related to making social impact and fostering a sense of belonging. Mary Ehlenbach, MD, was selected as the department’s inaugural Director of Social Impact and Belonging.
UW Health Office Social Impact and Belonging
Our vision is to be a health system that creates belonging for everyone. To fulfill our vision, we are working to achieve three primary goals – create a culture of belonging so all team members feel valued and respected, ensure patients have access to remarkable health care that is respectful of each individual’s experience and needs, and improve health outcomes for all of our communities through social impact.
Advocacy
We recognize that health equity, advocacy, and wellness are closely inter-related. To that end, we highlight advocacy and provider well-being as key parts of our approach to the residency program and our department. Learn more about advocacy in the Department of Pediatrics.