The Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in The Warren Alpert Medical School: Aligning Goals, Programming, and Outcomes for Health Equity.

Although United States (US) medical institutions discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, there is little guidance about the process by which these concepts can be attained programmatically within institutions. The Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OBEDI) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University intends to rise to the challenge and share knowledge and experience with other institutions. Program design models, and the alignment of inputs, outputs, and outcomes for the short-term and long-term are illustrated. OBEDI's unique model of how each of these concepts contribute towards health equity, from the individual to the community, is also explained. Finally, OBEDI shares promising practices and future directions.

Upholding Our PROMISE: Underrepresented in Medicine Pediatric Residents' Perspectives on Interventions to Promote Belonging.

PURPOSE: Underrepresented in medicine (UIM) residents experience challenges during training that threaten their sense of belonging in medicine; therefore, residency programs should intentionally implement interventions to promote belonging. This study explored UIM pediatric residents' perspectives on current residency program measures designed to achieve this goal. METHOD: The authors conducted a secondary qualitative analysis as part of a national cross-sectional study, PROmoting Med-ed Insight into Supportive Environments (PROMISE), which explored pediatric residents' experiences and perspectives during training in relation to their self-identities. A 23-item web-based survey was distributed through the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Longitudinal Educational Research Assessment Network from October 2020 to January 2021. Participants provided free-text responses to the question "What are current measures that promote a sense of belonging for the UIM community in your training program?" The authors used conventional content analysis to code and identify themes in responses from UIM participants. RESULTS: Of the 1,748 residents invited to participate, 931 (53%) residents from 29 programs completed the survey, with 167 (18%) identifying as UIM. Of the 167 UIM residents, 74 (44%) residents from 22 programs responded to the free-text question. The authors coded more than 140 unique free-text responses and identified 7 major themes: (1) critical mass of UIM residents; (2) focused recruitment of UIM residents; (3) social support, including opportunities to build community among UIM residents; (4) mentorship; (5) caring and responsive leadership; (6) education on health disparities, diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism; and (7) opportunities to serve, including giving back to the local community and near-peer mentorship of UIM premedical and medical students. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first national study to describe UIM pediatric residents' perspectives on interventions that promote a sense of belonging. Programs should consider implementing these interventions to foster inclusion and belonging among UIM trainees.

Three Years of X + Y Scheduling: Longitudinal Assessment of Resident and Faculty Perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: Five pediatric residency programs implemented true X + Y scheduling in 2018 where residents have continuity clinic in "blocks" rather than half-day per week experiences. We report the impact X + Y scheduling has on pediatric resident and faculty perceptions of patient care and other educational experiences over a 3-year timeframe. METHODS: Electronic surveys were sent to residents and faculty of the participating programs prior to implementing X + Y scheduling and annually thereafter (2018-2021). Survey questions measured resident and faculty perception of continuity clinic schedule satisfaction and the impact of continuity clinic schedules on inpatient and subspecialty rotations. Data were analyzed using z-tests for proportion differences. RESULTS: One hundred and eight six residents were sent the survey preimplementation and 254 to 289 postimplementation with response rates ranging from 47% to 69%. Three hundred and seventy-eight to 395 faculty members were sent the survey with response rates ranging from 26% to 51%. Statistically significant (P < .05) sustained perceived improvements over 3 years with X+Y were seen in outpatient continuity, inpatient workflow, and time for teaching both inpatient and in continuity clinic. CONCLUSIONS: X + Y scheduling can lead to perceived improvements in various aspects of pediatric residency programs. Our study demonstrates these improvements have been sustained over 3 years in the participating programs.

An Entrustable Professional Activity Addressing Racism and Pediatric Health Inequities.

Racism and discrimination are the root of many pediatric health inequities and are well described in the literature. Despite the pervasiveness of pediatric health inequities, we have failed to adequately educate and prepare general pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists to address them. Deficiencies within education across the entire continuum and in our health care systems as a whole contribute to health inequities in unacceptable ways. To address these deficiencies, the field of pediatrics, along with other specialties, has been on a journey toward a more competency-based approach to education and assessment, and the framework created for the future is built on entrustable professional activities (EPAs). Competency-based medical education is one approach to addressing the deficiencies within graduate medical education and across the continuum by allowing educators to focus on the desired equitable patient outcomes and then develop an approach to teaching and assessing the tasks, knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to achieve the goal of optimal, equitable patient care. To that end, we describe the development and content of a revised EPA entitled: Use of Population Health Strategies and Quality Improvement Methods to Promote Health and Address Racism, Discrimination, and Other Contributors to Inequities Among Pediatric Populations. We also highlight the ways in which this EPA can be used to inform curricula, assessments, professional development, organizational systems, and culture change.