THE LAG/USC IDEA – INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, AND EQUITY ALLIANCE

The OB/GYN residents and faculty created the diversity and inclusion committee in 2018 to promote an inclusive environment within our program and enhance the experience among our medical faculty, staff, residents, and patients. Our mission statement is to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and to create an environment of support for those underrepresented in medicine, their allies, and our patients.

Our initiatives include:

  1. To increase diversity within the workplace by promoting the recruitment & retention of underrepresented residents and faculty members. 
    We provide a variety of mentoring and support group resources including a pipeline mentoring program between medical students and residents, as well as between residents and USC OB/GYN alumni. Our mentoring program allows for natural, organic relationships to form to assist proteges with navigating the unique experiences of being an underrepresented provider within medicine. The residents are supported by a Diversity Chief Resident, a unique role created in 2019, to ensure decisions made within the residency program are made with an equity lens and as a source of support for under-represented residents navigating medicine.  We also provide an annual scholarship awarding department members who have excelled in promoting equity as well as hold departmental retreats for our DEI members to promote community and support.
  2. To stimulate discussion surrounding topics related to DEI within medicine such as implicit bias within medicine, cultural humility and its effects on patients and healthcare workers as well as provide tools for leadership and cultural development.
    We provide regular diversity and inclusion lectures & interactive workshops for medical students, residents, and faculty to discover ways to become a better provider for our patients. We strive to incorporate diversity into the enhancement of leadership and communication skills among our residents and faculty/ staff. We host Grand Round lectures in which leaders within the field of diversity and medicine discuss various topics to our program. We hold equity morbidity and mortality conferences where cases are discussed from an equity standpoint and social determinants of health are critically analyzed.
  3. To produce clinical research among diversity and inclusion topics regarding patient care, disparities, and resident/ faculty wellness
    We strive to create studies regarding residency experiences & wellness among underrepresented providers. We also strive to create studies regarding our patient’s experiences and support within our hospital and to how this correlate to patient outcomes.
  4. To form collaborations and connection with our community partners to enhance our patient care delivery and outcomes
    We have formed important partnerships with community partners in Los Angeles including East LA Women’s Center, AAIMM Doula Program, and Black Women for Wellness to learn how best we can provide care for the community we serve.

Faculty Chairs: Dr. Nicole Mitchell-Chadwick, Dr. Nicole Gomez, Dr. Brian Nguyen

Please contact Dr. Nicole Mitchell-Chadwick with any questions or inquiries: nchadwick@dhs.lacounty.gov