Diversity and Inclusion

Our Internal Medicine Residency Program is committed to diversity, inclusion, equity and justice. We recognize that we have explicitly and implicitly condoned racism and that our actions have irreparably harmed every facet of life for the Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous community.

With the unfathomable and innumerable deaths of black men and women and black trans women, we understand the privilege we have as physicians to change structural racism. We recognize that becoming anti-racist starts with ourselves. We also recognize that healthcare stands at the intersection of the many other important aspects of life and that we can and need to make a difference.

Our institution has undergone an extensive review by the law firm Covington and Burling, LLP and has now provided a valuable guide on how to eliminate inequitable treatment, discrimination and harassment. An oversight committee has been established by OHSU and is co-chaired by Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia, an expert in trauma informed system change and faculty at Harvard Medical School and OHSU, and Michael Alexander, MSS, former president of the Urban League of Portland, vice president of the Port of Portland Commission and board chair for the Black United Fund. The committee will provide input in the decision making process of the Implementation Committee. Both committees were established to transform OHSU for the better. 

We will continue to drive forward as a program, department, and institution to end racism within and beyond our physical and emotional space. We will listen and work to end the intolerability of racism. 

OHSU has a number of other initiatives as outlined here. As a residency program, we will continue our anti-racism work which include the following but are not limited to these:

  • We established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion resident-led committee who has partnered with On Track!, an OHSU group who works with Oregon middle and high schools to increase the number of students from underrepresented minority backgrounds in the health sciences.
  • Added diversity and social determinants of health learning into every noon report session
  • Continue our holistic approach to recruiting a diverse group of residents so that we may transform healthcare
  • Participate in University and GME led efforts to end racism at OHSU
  • Completed Upstander Intervention Training for all residents and faculty
  • Participate in a new initiative called Stepping in for Respect, a bystander intervention training to create a respectful and inclusive environment for all.
  • Funding the directorship of the Advocacy Program (Drs. Joel Burnett and Kelsi Manley) and to expand our advocacy curriculum
  • Continue to add anti-racism workshops into our residency related retreats
  • Seek new opportunities to engage with the broader community in volunteer opportunities; led by our Volunteer Committee under the IM Residency Council
  • Raise money for organizations who continue their work in dismantling racism

Dr. Donn Spight, Professor of Surgery, has been appointed as Vice President for Health Equity Operations. OHSU is dedicated to integrating health equity into the fabric of how care is delivered. Dr. Spight joins Kat Phillips, MHA in this role. Ms. Phillips lead the Vaccine Equity Committee, a group dedicated to providing Covid-19 vaccines to rural and community settings where resources are limited. 

OHSU’s 4 Guiding Principles for Health Equity:

  1. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist institution. This is all of our responsibility and is integral to the health system’s ability to deliver the most effective and highest quality care.
  2. We seek to amplify and accelerate existing OHSU programs in the health equity space – particularly those that already have strong ties to communities of color and other historically marginalized groups.
  3. We seek to develop a shared vision for health equity with input from community groups and work to create new programs as needed to address community-described gaps in health and health care.
  4. We will listen to the community first, then build solutions as our community partners gain trust in our enduring commitment; this is a new approach for OHSU and an important departure from our actions historically.

Read more about OHSU's Health Equity operations

Embracing diversity, equity and inclusion gives us the power to be better at what we do, and allows us to demonstrate integrity, compassion and leadership.

The OHSU Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), leads and supports the university-wide initiatives to create an environment of respect and inclusion for all people. The Center is dedicated to fostering partnerships to enhance OHSU's mission of healing, teaching, research and community services. With a range of resources and services, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion supports and empowers students, faculty and staff from all walks of life, including historically underrepresented populations.

OHSU Diversity and Inclusion Awards

Hear how members of the OHSU community value equity and inclusion, and are working toward increased engagement and culture change.

OHSU and our program have been on a journey to become an anti-racist, diverse institution and continue to accelerate efforts towards this goal. Dr. Danny Jacobs, OHSU President, and numerous other invested individuals including Leslie Garcia, Associate Dean for DEI and Dr. Derick Du Vivier, Senior Vice President Diversity, Equity and Inclusion have worked collaboratively and extensively to create an environment which celebrates diversity and works toward inclusion and equity. Please review these websites to better understand what we are doing and where we are going including reviewing our SOM Strategic Action Plan.

White Coats for Black Lives Matter

2020 IM White Coats for Black Lives Matter event
OHSU IM residents participating in the White Coats for Black Lives Matter event in Portland.

North by Northeast Fundraiser

IM - NxNE Fundraiser
IM chiefs, co-residents, and faculty raise more than $4,000 for NxNE clinic to show support for Black community health.

DEI Articles

2023 DEI Article - IM
A patient lying in a hospital bed looks up smiling at a provider who is at his bedside.

Poor communication deepens health inequities, systemic racism

Unclear communication deepens health inequities and continues the systemic racism upon which American health systems have been built, according to a trio of Oregon Health & Science University staff in a viewpoint published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine.

IM - Communication Article

AAMC recognizes OHSU efforts to advance health care equity through telehealth and health technology

Health care provider viewing their smart phone

OHSU named an LGBTQ+Healthcare Equality Leader

2022 Healthcare Equity Index
OHSU received a perfect score of 100 in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's evaluation.

Click on image to read the full article.
2022 A Safety Net for Thousands