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Pediatrics Residency

Culture, Enrichment and Engagement

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Culture, Enrichment and Engagement

Aligned with the mission of our institution, the Department of Pediatrics fosters an atmosphere of tolerance and a free exchange of ideas, where our differences personally and professionally enrich us. We celebrate all backgrounds and value our students, residents, fellows, and faculty of every race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and belief system. Together, we hope to create a safe space where we can learn from one another and continue to grow.

 

The Training Experience

During training, our residents participate in a multitude of lectures and workshops related to DEI throughout the year, including:

  • Annual implicit bias training with faculty and residents put on by the Morsani College of Medicine.
  • Monthly Culture, Enrichment and Engagement CARE (Cultural Awareness in Resident Education) talks put on by residents and faculty who share their background, culture, religion, and traditions.
  • A commitment to community engagement and service to meet our patients in the communities in which they live.

Future Plans

  • Continued commitment to recruitment and retention of residents underrepresented in medicine, i.e. from diverse racial, cultural, and religious backgrounds, as well as of different sexual orientations and gender identities
  • Implementation of monthly diversity-focused journal clubs, and education that focuses on important topics related to diversity, history of structural racism in medicine, and important events that led to creation of minority communities' distrust
  • Book club and movie nights with Culture, Enrichment and Engagement topics with structured education and discussion
  • Creation of additional opportunities for community service by partnering with non-medical organizations to highlight important community partners serving our patients and families
  • Safe Zone Training

Why Tampa Bay?

Tampa Bay is a rich and diverse community, allowing for valuable opportunities to learn how to best care for patients from different backgrounds. We hope that our sustained commitment to diversity will enable our trainees and faculty to gain the skills needed to deliver the highest quality care to all of our patients in the Tampa Bay Area. 

Our Community

Our residency has the privilege of serving and learning from a diverse pediatric population. In general, Tampa Bay is about 60% Caucasian, 20% Hispanic or Latinx, 10% Black or African American, with the remainder of the population being a mix of Asian, Native American and other backgrounds. In particular, we have rich cultural representation of Cuban, Puerto Rican, Italian, and Greek residents. The majority of our patients receive Medicaid health insurance, while some higher income families with private insurance give our residents broad exposure to the medical systems training. 

Enrichment

Having such a diverse community for our residents to work in enriches their training and creates a well-rounded and well-prepared pediatrician. We hope that our sustained commitment to diversity and inclusion will allow our trainees and faculty to gain the skills needed to deliver the highest quality care to all of our patients in the Tampa Bay Area. Furthermore, we understand that there are structural barriers that prevent many communities from gaining access to care as well as affect health outcomes, and therefore are committed to multiplicity in our staff in order to meet the needs of our patient population in the Tampa Bay Area.

To learn more, visit our Culture, Enrichment and Engagement page. 

Check out our Underrepresented Minority Visiting Student Scholarship page to learn more about the program and to apply.