Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Michigan Medicine’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology recognizes that people's health and health care quality differs. Historical and modern injustices (social, economic, and political) have resulted in diminished quality of life in some communities. Injustices such as societal racism and discrimination cause negative health consequences. We see this in women in the U.S - especially women of color – who feel the impact of these injustices across their lifetime. They face unacceptable disease and death rates, especially during pregnancy, childbirth, and when diagnosed with reproductive cancers. People with substance use disorders, disabilities, and those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender non-conforming, among others, also face these injustices.

Our department is working to bring awareness and to create solutions to these societal issues. We are working to better educate and train our care providers and carefully listen to our patients' voices and the communities we serve.  We are examining our performance and seeking to improve.

We strive to consistently provide patient-centered, safe, evidence-based, and timely care. Specifically, we pledge to provide equitable care for patients of every race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, ability, educational level, and familial status.

The Michigan Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) was developed with input from faculty, staff, and house officers and strategically aligned with the following key institutional priorities:

• Create an equitable and inclusive campus climate
• Recruit, retain, and develop a diverse community
• Support innovative and inclusive scholarship and teaching

Our first initiative was to launch three phases of faculty- and staff-led departmental DE&I workgroups to engage individuals in a personal DE&I learning journey, institutionalize DE&I practices for recruitment and hiring for both staff and faculty, and focus on implementing DE&I practices in our Birth Center.  

In August 2020 the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department kicked off the first phase of our DE&I workgroups, with faculty, learners, and staff from across the Department volunteering to lead and participate in these workgroups. Phase two launched in May 2021 and focuses on integrating bias as a quality improvement indicator and developing effective conflict resolution training and practices for our team.

In addition to the DE&I workgroups, our team presents monthly DE&I Grand Rounds, hosts DE&I book clubs, and ensures that our community is aware of DE&I news and events happening in our department and beyond.

Our team has developed an inclusive curricula guide, adapted from Brown University, that highlights considerations for the development of educational materials to promote DE&I and bias-free instruction. We hope this document guides you in creating a more inclusive and diverse environment.

The Personal Growth Workgroup curated a variety of resources - including books, articles, podcasts, videos, and more - to enhance our OBGYN’s community's understanding and knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion topics and to contribute to a truly inclusive environment. 

The OBGYN Faculty and Staff Recruitment and Evaluation Toolkits were created as guides for inclusive and equitable recruitment and hiring of our prospective faculty and staff members. It is our hope that the Toolkits will minimize the influence and impact of personal and structural biases on our recruitment and hiring practices in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Our thoughtful department volunteers have dedicated a significant amount of time to developing these toolkits, and for that we are grateful. Questions? Contact Emily Rivkin.