UCSD and Rady Children’s Hospital Pediatrics Diversity Collaborative

Mission Statement

What We Do

1. Recruitment

 The Collaborative actively participates in all stages of resident recruitment. During the interview season, we host a series of virtual diversity interview days, faculty mixers, and applicant socials. We are dedicated to recruiting individuals of diverse races, ethnicities, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic backgrounds, and lived experiences. 

2. Education 

In addition to the structured DEI education built into the residency curriculum, the Collaborative provides additional educational opportunities throughout the year, including:

Health Equity Grand Rounds

Residents of the Diversity Collaborative lead Health Equity Rounds, an annual case-based grand rounds lecture. Alongside an interdisciplinary team including faculty, nurses, and social workers, residents present to the entire Department of Pediatrics and bring health equity discourse to the academic setting. The Health Equity Rounds curriculum aims to provide trainees and faculty with the tools to recognize, confront, and mitigate the implicit and institutional biases within the healthcare system. Past topics have included:

• Clinical outcomes in sickle cell disease viewed through a racial equity lens
• Influences on the immigrant health experience at Rady Children's

Journal Club:

Our journal clubs are an ongoing group discussion series led by Diversity Collaborative residents and hosted by faculty members in their homes. The discussions center around articles that highlight specific issues of racial, social, and economic health inequity. These events create a space for residents and faculty to discuss the impact of racism, homophobia, xenophobia, and other biases on our clinical practice, and learn evidence-based interventions to oppose these biases.

3. Pediatric Anti-Racism (PARC):

Held during noon conferences throughout the year, these are discussion-based learning sessions that highlight racism in medicine and its impact on the patient experience, as well as how we can address these issues as members of the medical community.

4. Advocacy:

Our residents are active in advocacy spaces and are passionate about relevant issues in pediatric health, such as: gun violence, nutritional health, and reproductive health. Many residents participate in local demonstrations dedicated to these issues. Residents are also involved in the local AAP chapter and work closely with the office of government relations at Rady Children’s to promote progressive pediatric public health policies. All pediatric residents complete a Community Pediatrics rotation which includes an advocacy curriculum and exposure to community resources, and there are additional opportunities to build advocacy into the formal residency curriculum for those who are interested.

5. Promoting Wellness, Community, & Mentorship:

The Diversity Collaborative serves as a space for residents to build community and find support throughout residency. The Collaborative hosts a welcome social at the beginning of the academic year for all new interns, where we have the pleasure of meeting and bonding with our co-residents. We recently implemented The Melting Pot Series, which are lunch events dedicated to sharing foods and stories inspired by each of our cultural backgrounds. Additionally, Dr. Ekpenyong spearheads the URiM mentorship program, which pairs URiM pediatrics residents with “families” of URiM medical students, fellows, and faculty to provide an additional source of longitudinal support and mentorship throughout residency.

Diversity Collaborative Residents