Educational Equity and Trauma-Informed Teaching
Learn how to create inclusive learning environments that support every student. Find training and resources on educational equity, trauma-informed teaching and anti-oppressive practices in health and science education.
Quick links:
What is educational equity?
Educational equity ensures all learners, faculty and staff have access to the resources and support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.
What are trauma-informed educational practices?
Trauma-informed educational practices begin with acceptance of learners’ diversity, including the different knowledge, skills and experiences they bring. Trauma-informed teaching also recognizes how chronic stress and trauma affect learning. These practices guide educators to respond with empathy and care and to create healing-centered classrooms.
Trauma can include experiences like:
- Poverty
- Neglect or abuse
- Violence
- Discrimination and racism
- Inequitable and exclusionary practices in education
These experiences can impact memory, focus and behavior, making learning more difficult.
Trauma-informed practices help educators:
- Create conditions where everyone feels safe, respected and ready to learn
- Recognize signs of stress and trauma
- Avoid re-traumatization in learning environments
- Build positive relationships that lessen the effects of trauma
- Designing classrooms that support diverse ways of learning
Foster Respectful and Equitable Education initiative (F.R.E.E.)
The F.R.E.E. initiative supports you in centering equity and justice in your teaching. It also fosters innovation and research in anti-racist and culturally responsive education.
F.R.E.E. helps you:
- Prepare learners to become culturally responsive health care professionals
- Collaborate across disciplines to build inclusive learning spaces
- Embrace ongoing learning, reflection and dialogue
- Build trust, empathy and belonging in educational settings
F.R.E.E. certification program
A micro-credential program where you learn to integrate equity, social justice and anti-racism into learning environments and instructional practices while collaborating with colleagues across health professions disciplines.
Program includes:
- 12 hours of coursework
- 3 hours of learning community participation
- 2 hours of capstone project proposal development
Professional benefits:
- Fulfills ACCME, CCNE and OHA cultural competency requirements.
- Counts toward CME and School of Nursing professional development requirements.
- Aligns with promotion and tenure assessments
Email us at FREE@ohsu.edu for course information and upcoming dates.
Equity-focused workshops
F.R.E.E. offers a range of equity-focused workshops, available on-demand or by request.
Workshops include:
- Difficult conversation series
- Equitable course design
- Anti-oppression practices
- Affirming diverse gender identities
We also offer consultations after workshops to help you apply these practices in your work. These consultations take place the next business day and are scheduled as needed.
View available workshops on Compass or email us at FREE@ohsu.edu to request a topic.
Building inclusive learning environments
F.R.E.E. offers practical tools to help you create a learning environment where every learner feels respected, included and supported.
You'll get access to tips and best practices for:
- Designing courses that reflect diverse identities and experiences
- Building trust and respect in the learning environment
- Creating accessible materials for all learners
- Supporting learners with a wide range of needs
- Reducing bias in assessments and grading
These tools can help you create culturally responsive courses, strengthen your teaching and meet OHSU's expectations for inclusive education.
Trauma-Informed educational practices training
Join a self-paced, online training designed for all OHSU faculty and educators. The School of Nursing developed this training, which is now available to faculty and educators across OHSU. It helps you apply an equity-focused trauma-informed approach to create safer, more inclusive learning environments.
Key topics:
- Neuroscience of learning, stress and trauma
- Recognizing trauma and inequities in education
- Wellness and healing practices
- Strategies for transforming education through policy, practice and pedagogy
- Personal well-being and resilience
Examples of equity in action at OHSU
- School of Nursing's Equity Impact Tool. This review process can be used by organizations to examine whether new or revised policies support equity and trauma-informed principles, ensuring all voices are included in decision-making. Listen to a podcast where the team explains the tool’s implementation and their trauma-informed approach.
- Inclusive lab cultures. The Developmental Brain Imaging Lab in the School of Medicine transformed its culture by focusing on anti-racism, inclusion and diversity in research and hiring. The lab partnered with OHSU’s Mentorship Academy, which helps educators and faculty build the skills to create inclusive, equitable environments.
- Supporting American Indian and Alaska Native learners. The Wy’East dental, medicine and nursing pathways help American Indian and Alaska Native learners prepare for school and overcome barriers to acceptance.
- Photo Diversity Project. A School of Nursing professor partnered with OHSU library to create more diverse patient images for teaching clinical concepts, ensuring learners can identify symptoms across all skin tones. Learn more about the project.
- F.R.E.E. capstone projects. As part of the F.R.E.E. certification program, participants complete a capstone project that integrates equity, social justice and anti-racism into educational environments and teaching practices. Past capstones have helped influence organizational practices and climate.
Local and national equity-focused organizations
Local organizations
Faculty jobs
Explore open faculty and educator positions at OHSU.
Contact us
For questions about:
- F.R.E.E.: Email us at FREE@ohsu.edu
- Trauma-informed practices: Email Rana Najjar at najjar@ohsu.edu