Summary of COMSEP’s DEI Activities:

  1. Creation of a DEI Resource and Advisory Committee as a standing committee (enshrined in the Bylaws)
  2. Adoption of a Statement of Inclusivity to help guide all our work
  3. Developed a new system for collecting demographic information of COMSEP members so as to better understand the current racial-ethnic, gender identities and sexual orientation of members
  4. Developed a system to provide resources/advising to COMSEP’s Collaboratives: DEI Committee member on almost each Collaborative (these are the work groups consisting of COMSEP members with different focus areas, responsible for generating ideas and implementing them)
  5. Recurring monthly DEI focus on COMSEP’s weekly newsletter, highlighting issues and resources pertaining to DEI
  6. Partnered with Executive Committee to diversify leadership and voices
    1. better advertisement of leadership positions
    2. more transparent selection process
    3. better descriptions of positions
    4. verbiage in all calls to encourage URiM members to run
    5. facilitated by adding of a DEI Committee member to the Nominations & Awards Committee
  7. Ongoing collaboration with other national organizations (such as the APPD, APA)
    1. APPD Confronting Racism Action Team- UIM Mentoring Subgroup
    2. APA Antiracism and Diversity Task Force
  8. Developed a DEI Resource webpage on the COMSEP website

 

Immediate Areas of Focus

  • Further Engage Collaboratives in their DEI & antiracism efforts
  • Diversify COMSEP leadership at all levels
  • Keep DEI webpage on COMSEP website updated
  • Develop scholarship fund to support URiM students in attending the Annual Meeting and mentoring them

Long-term Areas of Focus

  • Develop a system for using an Equity Impact Assessment Tool for COMSEP programs
  • Examine issues of bias in assessment of medical students
  • Exploring a formal Pathway to Pediatrics program for URiM medical (and possibly also premedical) students with scholarship support
  • Consider program for pediatric residents interested in medical student education