Partner Program
RYSE specifically targets historically underrepresented minority healthcare professionals with a specific emphasis on faculty in academic health sciences. Faculty diversity is linked to student diversity, cultural competence of graduates and an inclusive climate on campus. While the number of minority faculty have increased over time, they continue to have less representation relative to their presence in the US population. There have been increasing efforts to grow the number of underrepresented minority faculty in academic medicine. This program will enhance peer mentoring and sense of community among URM faculty members; develop/enhance leadership and career development skills identified by participants; encourage meaningful discussions about the experience of navigating academic health sciences as a URM faculty members; and contribute to efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment.
Target audiences will include URM faculty from General Internal Medicine—TEC Primary Care, VA, Grady, Geriatrics—as well as Palliative medicine and Family Medicine. To reach URM physicians, who are often providing care in underserved communities, we piloted the Diverse Recruitment & Retention Is ValuablE (DRIVE) Program. We are replicating this course, linking it to community organizations (the Atlanta Medical Association / GA State Medical Association, affiliates of the National Medical Association), adding geriatric educational components, and expanding it to two cities beyond Atlanta. The goals of the program are to enhance peer mentoring and a sense of community among self-identified URM faculty members (by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Department of Health & Human Services categories); develop/enhance leadership and career development skills; engage in discussions about navigating academic health sciences as a URM faculty member; and contribute to creating a more diverse and inclusive environment.
