Department of Surgery
General Surgery Residency Program

Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

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Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Curriculum

We at the Department of Surgery believe that our missions of providing exceptional health care and training extraordinary surgeons must include a commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. We are fortunate to serve a richly diverse community of patients, many of whom belong to groups that have historically been marginalized and had reduced access to health care. By recruiting a diverse pool of talented residents and educating them in JEDI principles, we are able to provide superior care that comes from a place of understanding and welcome.

We are working to integrate the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of resident education in order to better serve our community. Our program offers surgical residents numerous opportunities to work with our community, including programs that are entirely resident-run.

 

A group of children pose with medical students and surgical residents

The Department of Surgery DEI Committee

Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and healthcare equity is not one-time project. The Department of Surgery DEI Committee meets regularly and includes both faculty and residents. This allows us to evaluate the success of current programs and propose new ones. Our overall strategic plan for DEI efforts uses a three-pronged approach of community engagement, recruitment, and resident education.

All residents who wish to participate in the committee are welcome. The DEI Committee offers residents numerous ways to get involved and have their voices heard.

Current DEI Committe members include:

Damon H. Clark, MD, DEI Chair for the Department of Surgery

Anaar E. Slietz, MD, PhD

Mayte Villanueva, MHA

Danielle Brabender, MD

Jordan Martucci, MD

Steven Forman, MD

Corey Ambrose, MD

Nicolas Leighton, MD

Annabah Glasser, MD

Lynette Lester, MD

Darwin Edmond, MD

Trey James, MD

Michelle Manesh, MD

Eric Lucas, MD

A row of medical students practice making surgical sutures as an instructor watches.

Community Engagement

We believe that the care of our patients extends beyond the walls of the operating room and into the communities we serve. Our residency program offers many opportunities for residents to build meaningful connections with communities throughout Los Angeles County, including the following service projects led by our residents and faculty:

Surgical residents kneel with a happy child

Surgeon for a Day: Four times during the academic year, our surgical residents spend the afternoon with 4th-8th graders from local Los Angeles Area schools providing them with opportunities to experience what it is like to be a surgeon for a day. Each experience includes rotations like CPR, FAST ultrasound, heart and lung anatomy with pig models, careers in medicine discussion, and laparoscopic simulation skills.

Dr. Damon Clark removes a tattoo from a patient's leg.

Tattoo Removal: As part of a violence prevention initiative, USC Trauma surgical faculty and residents volunteer to perform laser tattoo removal free of charge (typically costing $200-$500 per session at outside facilities) for clients since 2017 at a facility in East Los Angeles. This program is in partnership with Soledad Enrichment Action, a community advocacy group, as a Los Angeles City initiative to reduce gang violence. The program aims to prevent interpersonal violence by removing gang-, trafficking-, and domestic abuse-affiliated tattoos directly within the communities most in need. This program allows individuals to move safely throughout their environment, pursue employment and educational goals, and move past physically/emotionally traumatic events from their past.

Dr. Damon clark sits at a long dinner table with other members of the Grupo Apoyo Padres por La Paz

Parents for Peace/Grupo Apoyo Padres por la Paz: This free, long-term support group offers support and empathy for any family members who have lost loved ones at USC. Meetings are every other week and are conducted primarily in Spanish.

A surgical resident in black scrubs stands at a table and demonstrates a technique to stop bleeding. Two young mend watch as they stand at a table filled with practice equipment.

Trauma and Careers in Medicine: This violence prevention program offers intervention for at-risk youth before violent incidents happen. Faculty work directly with young people to help change beliefs about aggression and attitudes towards gangs, guns, and violence. At-risk youth are invited to spend a day in the simulation center to learn about various forms of trauma, careers in medicine, and anatomy dissection. The program encourages them to see themselves as community leaders and consider pathways to medical careers.

Recruitment

We recognize the growing need for our residency program to reflect the patient population it serves. The USC Department of Surgery is committed to recruiting and retaining outstanding students, residents, fellows, staff, and faculty from diverse backgrounds who represent the communities served by Keck Hospital of USC, Norris Cancer Center of USC, and Los Angeles General Medical Center.

High school students practice techniques to stop bleeding as a surgical resident watches.

The USC Pipeline Program: This program allows USC undergraduates from underrepresented populations to join summer programs at the Surgical Skills Simulation and Education Center. Students learn knot tying, suturing, and aseptic technique.

A team member passes an instrument to a surgeon during a colorectal surgical procedure

The Diversity Sub-Internship Scholarship Award in General Surgery: This scholarship will be awarded to rising fourth-year medical students from diverse backgrounds to supplement their sub-internship in a surgical service. Each award winner will receive a housing stipend ($1,750) in addition to one-on-one opportunities with program leadership, individualized advising with a designated mentor, and a letter of recommendation at the end of their rotation.

Active recruitment at networking events for medical students: Dr. Damon Clark and several of our surgical residents attend multiple events such as the National Conference of the Latino Medical Student Association so that they can directly engage with a diverse pool of medical students and drive interest in our program.

Resident Education

A top surgeon needs more than technical skill. The ability to understand and communicate with patients is a crucial part of any good practice, and thus a crucial part of our resident education.

Grand Rounds and Resident Lectures: Each quarter, the Department of Surgery is committed to providing a designated lecture that explores the values of racial justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion and how it relates to healthcare, research, education and/or the patients we serve. Topics include discussions of implicit biases and expansion of healthcare equity. We hope these sessions will educate students, residents, and faculty on how we can better engender an environment that respects the unique perspectives of all communities, including those who have been traditionally marginalized.

Improving Proficiency in Spanish: According to the 2022 census, 48.1% of the citizens of Los Angeles are individuals of Hispanic or Latino origin. About 36% of the population of Los Angeles uses Spanish as a first language (American Community Survey 2021). To accommodate the diverse community that we serve daily, the general surgery residency program is incorporating more opportunities to learn Spanish. Additionally, any resident who passes the bilingual proficiency exam is entitled to an additional bonus of $100/month.