Diversity & Inclusion
Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Welcome and thanks for your interest in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine (APOM) at OHSU! We are committed to creating an environment where diversity stands as a priority and a visible entity among our faculty, staff, and learners. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice are critical parts of our mission. In fact, in 2022, APOM established a Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) physician leadership role to oversee and advance this critical work, and I am thrilled to serve in this capacity.
As APOM’s director of DEI, my goal is to nurture an environment where all individuals are free to be their authentic selves. I want folks in our department to thrive! As one of our departmental tactics, we strive to ensure that APOM recognizes individuals for their uniqueness and talent. We also hope to ensure that our members have their strengths acknowledged and celebrated, adding to a culture of belonging and purpose. We are also making strides in improving our diverse recruitment and retention practices, with required unconscious bias training and continuing education on how to be a good ally.
We have accomplished a lot in a short amount of time, and I cannot wait to see how APOM continues to lead the way regarding DEI efforts. Please explore the rest of this page and learn more about the lovely people and their achievements below. Gracias!
Dr. Tomás A. Lazo, MD
Associate Professor
We know that a diverse department has significant benefits and want to capitalize on that as much as possible. As such, the Anti-Racism Task Force was established in 2016, and charged with the continuous implementation and evaluation of the department’s Diversity Action Plan. In 2020, this team pivoted to serve as members of a task force charged with making recommendations to department leadership on how to take steps toward becoming an actively anti-racist community. Since this group has representation from all realms of APOM, it is well-positioned to help with education and communication surrounding DEI in the department.
In addition, in 2022, APOM’s residency program established a Diversity Council focused on mentorship and community-building among department members from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, toward the goals of recruitment and retention. The Council is led by residents Drs. Dayle Hodge and Christian Aquino, and I am happy to serve as the faculty lead. Not only do we aim to improve our sense of community for diverse physicians and physician learners in our department, we are also active in promoting outreach for minoritized students both locally and nationally. Learn more about this in our outreach section.
-Dr. Tomás A. Lazo, MD
Featured Departmental DEI Scholarly Activity
“Diversity and Discrimination in Healthcare”
- Dr. Brandon Togioka, 2024
Togioka BM, Duvivier D, Young E. Diversity and Discrimination in Healthcare. 2023 Aug 14. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan–. PMID: 33760480.
- Dr. Brandon Togioka, 2023
Togioka BM, Harriman KA, Ye S, Berli J. Frequency and Characteristics of Postoperative Neuropathy in Individuals on Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy Undergoing Gender Affirmation Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Cureus. 2023 Oct 30;15(10):e47988. doi: 10.7759/cureus.47988. PMID: 38034215; PMCID: PMC10686520.
“Pathways to Leadership: Perspectives from Under-Represented Minority Leaders”
- Dr. Tomás A. Lazo, 2023
Wright, C., Lazo, T., Misra, L., Marshall, L., Vo, C. Pathways to Leadership: Perspectives from Under-Represented Minority Leaders. Oral Presentation at American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Anesthesiology Annual Meeting, October 17, 2023, San Francisco, CA.
“Expanding the Study of Bias in Medical Education Assessment”
- Dr. Amy K. Miller Juve, 2023
Ibrahim H, Juve AM, Amin A, Railey K, Andolsek KM. Expanding the Study of Bias in Medical Education Assessment. J Grad Med Educ. 2023 Dec;15(6):623-626. doi: 10.4300/JGME-D-23-00027.1. PMID: 38045936; PMCID: PMC10686652.
“Limited English proficiency in the labor and delivery unit”
- Dr. Brandon Togioka, 2022
Togioka BM, Seligman KM, Delgado CM. Limited English proficiency in the labor and delivery unit. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2022 Jun 1;35(3):285-291. doi: 10.1097/ACO.0000000000001131. PMID: 35671014.
- Dr. Brandon Togioka, 2019
Togioka BM, Seligman KM, Werntz MK, Yanez ND, Noles LM, Treggiari MM. Education Program Regarding Labor Epidurals Increases Utilization by Hispanic Medicaid Beneficiaries: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Anesthesiology. 2019 Oct;131(4):840-849. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000002868. PMID: 31299658.
Resources
- OHSU Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI)
- Respect for All guide
- How to Respond to a Request for, or Refusal of, Health Care Professionals with Specific Characteristics (and associated policy)
- Reporting Discrimination
- Anti-Racism Educational Resources
- School of Medicine Statement of Commitment to Diversity and Equity
- School of Medicine Diversity and Equity
