An Update on CUIMC Antiracism Efforts
To our fellow members of the Columbia community:
In 2020, our nation was confronted by dual public health crises — COVID-19 and the systemic racism that the pandemic and widespread protests revealed. In March of that year, the COVID-19 pandemic began burning through communities across the country and highlighted disparities in the quality and accessibility of health care for people of color. The wide-reaching effects of systemic racism were underscored further during a summer of protest and discord, fueled by decades of brutality and ultimately ignited by the murder of George Floyd. COVID-19 and the pervasive abuse of Black communities and other citizens of color rapidly pushed systemic racism to the forefront of public health discourse. What quickly became apparent in those conversations was a painful truth: Racism is endemic to the United States, and it causes harmful and far-reaching effects on the physical and mental health and well-being of communities of color in this country.
The impact of racism is multidimensional, as populations of color have higher death rates, shorter life spans, and poorer outcomes in the face of common diseases — all steeped in generational inequality of care. Black, Latino, American Indian, and Alaska Native populations had higher risks for infection, hospitalization, and death from COVID-19 across the board, while anti-Asian violence escalated to heights not previously observed. These events represented a major inflection point concerning the impact of race on health and well-being.
At Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), faculty, students, staff, and trainees grappled with these twin pandemics, which inspired individual and institutional introspection and elucidated the need for a more nuanced approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout our medical center. Our community resolved that it is not enough to simply talk about diversity; our efforts must be refocused on eliminating racism wherever it exists, be it in healthcare disparities, prejudiced educational paradigms, or hidden biases among research and discovery efforts.
CUIMC Roadmap for Anti-Racism in Healthcare and Health Sciences
In July of 2020, the four CUIMC deans appointed a large, CUIMC-wide, broadly representative task force focused on outlining ways to eliminate racism from all aspects of our work. The CUIMC Task Force for Addressing Structural Racism was appointed to identify opportunities for reducing racism’s impact across six key domains:
- Faculty recruitment, retention, advancement, and leadership
- Education, training, and curricular change
- Health care disparities, social justice, and solutions research
- Clinical care
- Community and public service
- Civility and professionalism
The task force — led by Drs. Rafael A. Lantigua, Anne L. Taylor, and Olajide A. Williams — enlisted the help of more than 100 faculty, staff, and students. Members convened for a series of discussions, meetings, and focus group sessions throughout the summer and fall of 2020, and a report to the CUIMC community followed in November of that year.
The CUIMC Roadmap for Antiracism in Healthcare and Health Sciences includes actionable recommendations toward substantial, impactful, and durable progress. Implementation began in January 2021, and recommendations from the task force were adjudicated through an implementation committee of faculty, staff, and students from across our four schools. Additionally, each school has developed separate antiracism plans specific to their disciplines.
Our Shared Progress
The past year has shown promise, with abundant and multifaceted steps taken to address these six action areas. We write today with an update, highlighting numerous indicators of progress toward long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the Columbia medical enterprise.
Special attention has been paid to the recruitment of diverse faculty at all ranks. From January 2021 to February 2022, 43% of all new faculty hires were diverse, including 15% from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine. We have expanded funding to enhance diversity goals, issuing requests for funding applications three times a year to promote competitive retention. Recruitment and development efforts also extend to leadership positions, with diverse hires made in four vice dean, associate dean, and assistant dean positions at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, and the School of Nursing.
Further emphasis has been placed on diverse faculty pipeline development through mentorship programs for trainees, increased support for graduate students, and faculty mentorship for medical students led by Clara Lapiner, assistant vice president of faculty professional development, diversity, and inclusion. Additional efforts include a CUIMC Leadership and Management Course for Diverse Faculty; facilitated peer-mentoring programs for diverse faculty, including women, LGBTQ+, Columbia Black Men in Medicine, and Latinx faculty; and sponsorship to attend AAMC Leadership Seminars for minority faculty and women faculty.
Last year also saw the appointment of a chief diversity officer for staff, Tonya Richards, who has collaborated with CUIMC Human Resources in launching employee resource groups that bring together faculty, researchers, and staff of shared race, gender, and identity affiliations and serve as invaluable professional support networks.
In promoting antiracist dialogue, the medical center also launched a CUIMC Antiracist Educator Institute, the Bold Conversations on Race for Healing & Reshaping our Medical Center Community Series in partnership with CopeColumbia, and Conversations with Historians, a collaboration with Columbia’s Department of History to explore the historical roots of racism. These programs involved strong collaborations among CUIMC HR; the Office of Faculty Professional Development, Diversity and Inclusion; The Office of Innovation in Health Professions Education; and the Center for Teaching and Learning.
With an eye on further improving our professional climate and culture, the new CUIMC Office of Professionalism is now fully staffed, led by Associate Dean of Professionalism Dena Goffman, MD, Assistant Vice President for Academic Appointments and Professionalism Dionida Ryce, and Director of Compliance and Training Spencer Bennett. The office’s mission is to promote values and behaviors aligned with organizational climate and a culture of respect, support, and positive career growth. The office maintains liaisons within CUIMC HR, our partners at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Vice Dean for Education Offices to bolster professionalism in learning and working environments.
The CUIMC Office of Professionalism has established a code of values, CUIMC CARES, that defines principles and behaviors for creating a culture that encourages civility, acceptance of differences, respect for all, ethical behavior, and a supportive environment within our community.
In addressing health care disparities, social justice, and solutions research, CUIMC has launched the Columbia Science and Health Equity Lecture Series to convene scholars in fields relevant to health equity and solutions to health inequities. Efforts have also been made toward the organization of a network of training programs relevant to health equity to attract students and trainees. Our ultimate goal in this arena is to create a foundation for a planned Institute for the Study of Healthcare Disparities and Solutions.
In the realm of clinical care, CUIMC has engaged in a collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian to integrate clinical care into a single payer-agnostic system, promoting a more patient-centered approach to our work. We have also made strides in increasing the diversity of our health care providers, with particular attention to clinical leadership. Efforts include collaborating with our Academy of Clinical Excellence to provide support and mentorship across clinician demographic groups.
Perhaps our most immediate impact in addressing health care disparities has been in our surrounding communities, led by Drs. Rafael Lantigua and Olajide Williams. As part of our longstanding relationships with community partners, CUIMC has increased the number of Columbia and NewYork-Presbyterian community health workers now serving in Washington Heights, West Harlem, Inwood, and South Bronx. Multiple outreach efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic addressed vaccine hesitancy, access, and distribution. COVID-19 vaccination efforts included pop-up clinics in underserved communities and large-scale efforts in partnership with NYP at the Armory.
The Community Health Workers Town Hall Series leveraged community partnerships to educate and inform on issues ranging from vaccine hesitancy, post-COVID syndrome, and mental health impacts of the pandemic. CUIMC also provided community physicians continuing medical education and support. We have also identified space to establish the CUIMC Community Center, which will provide a physical location for community outreach efforts and strengthen our existing relationships with community-based partners.
Our goals have been generously funded in part by donations from various benefactors. CUIMC has received more than $20 million in private support towards antiracist initiatives. These donors have empowered student support, recruitment of physicians from groups under-represented in medicine, community health worker programs, COVID-19 vaccine outreach and education, and improvements in clinical trials diversity. We are so grateful to our donors for their support of this work.
Remarkably, the programs and milestones described here represent only a fraction of the work happening throughout our four schools. For more updates, resources, and contacts, we invite you to visit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at CUIMC.
Our shared work toward creating a truly antiracist medical institution is ongoing. We welcome your feedback, advocacy, and support to make our goals a reality and ensure that CUIMC can remain at the forefront of equitable medical education, research, and care. We want you to know that your voices are heard and valued, and we welcome continued partnerships throughout the entire Columbia University community. We look forward to sharing more updates with you as progress continues.
Sincerely,
Katrina Armstrong, MD
Chief Executive Officer, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Anne Taylor, MD
Senior Vice President for Faculty Affairs and Career Development, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Vice Dean of Academic Affairs, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons