Striving for a Union with Purpose
Good morning!
Last week I was delighted to participate in the fourth annual “Pillars” awards – recognizing individuals and groups who are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at UMMC and in our community. Due to the pandemic, we were not able to gather as we usually do for an in-person ceremony, but the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, which sponsors the event, did a great job of pulling off a virtual event highlighting this important work.
“Pillars” is an appropriate term for this activity. It conveys not only that these honorees, through their example, are holding up these core values of the Medical Center, but the construction analogy also suggests that this work is ongoing and, in fact, never ends.
This “unfinished work” was beautifully depicted by Amanda Gorman, national youth poet laureate, in the poem she recited at the recent presidential inauguration, “The Hill We Climb:”
“But that doesn't mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge a union with purpose,
to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man.
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us,
but what stands before us.”
In the months since the death of George Floyd and other racially charged incidents that shocked the national conscience, it’s never been clearer that to realize the ideal we all aspire to, this “striving to forge a union with purpose” must continue and, indeed, gain additional momentum.
So for that reason I wanted to use VC Notes today to shine a spotlight on those who are leaders in this work at UMMC. These honorees go out of their way to create a sense of belonging for all people in our community, and I am so proud of the example they are setting for all of us.
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Student-Trainee Category – Excellence Award
Honoree: Jeremy Courtney, M.D., Fellow, Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonology and Critical Care
The nomination of Dr. Courtney noted that he is consistently professional in his approach and is unfailingly compassionate and thoughtful with his patients. “Despite still being in training himself, he has helped to develop and deliver a health disparities curriculum for Internal Medicine residents at UMMC.”
Honorable Mention: Reid Black, School of Medicine Class of 2021; Jared Vaughan, School of Medicine Class of 2021
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Employee Category – Inclusion Award
Honoree: Victoria Gholar, John D. Bower School of Population Health
Gholar’s nomination said she is “committed to enhancing the climate of inclusion by fostering respect among our staff, faculty, students and patients/clients, as well as promoting events that are inclusive to all individuals who would otherwise feel isolated and unengaged.”
Honorable Mention: Tara Brock, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior; Erinn Funches, Department of Child Life, Children’s of Mississippi
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Faculty Category – Beacon Award
Honoree: Ervin Fox, M.D., Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases
Dr. Fox “has shown and continues to show an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion through 20 years of dedicated and productive research in African Americans, through his communication of research results in African Americans to the lay and research communities, and through his support of the next generation of minority investigators interested in biomedical research.”
Honorable Mention: Caroline Compretta, Ph.D., Department of Preventive Medicine; Michelle Owens, M.D., Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology; Roberto Santos, M.D., Department of Pediatrics
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Alumni Category – Lifetime Achievement Award
Honoree: Mary B. Taylor, M.D., Department of Pediatrics
Dr. Taylor’s nomination noted that “she promotes diversity in the department by organizing lectures to faculty members on diversity and inclusion topics, implementing inclusive approaches during the hiring process (and in) appointments for leadership roles and selection of residents and fellows. She implemented an anonymous communication style (I-connect) with faculty and staff on grievances related to discrimination and other issues affecting productivity. She included diversity and inclusion as a priority topic in her strategic plan for the Department of Pediatrics.”
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Esprit de Corps Award
Honoree: Jackson Free Clinic
The student-run clinic has been actively serving citizens of inner city Jackson, many of them homeless, for more than 20 years. With a patient population comprised of 73 percent Black, 16 percent white and 11 percent “other,” in 2019 the clinic served 627 patients making 1,009 visits. More than 700 students volunteered in 2019, serving nearly 8,000 hours. Student participants regularly host vaccination drives and screenings for underserved citizens and have continued to serve these communities throughout the pandemic.
Honorable Mention: Department of Dermatology; Group on Women in Medicine and Science; John D. Bower School of Population Health
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Community Advocate Award
Honoree: Women’s Foundation of Mississippi
According to the nomination, “the mission of the Women's Foundation of Mississippi is economic security for women. It is the only grant-maker in the state focused entirely on women and girls. The organization makes strategic investments, conducts research and provides community engagement and education opportunities throughout Mississippi that put women and girls at the center – lifting up families and communities. Since 2012, WFMS has given $2.2 million in total grants to local organizations across the state, changing the lives of thousands of women and girls and sparking real change in our communities.”
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Congratulations to all of the 2021 Pillars recipients and thank you for all that you are doing!
And while I’m calling out exemplary achievements, I want to give kudos to Dr. Loretta Jackson-Williams, vice dean of the School of Medicine. Loretta is one of several “trailblazing Black women leaders from throughout academic medicine” being honored next week by the Boston University School of Medicine in celebration of Rebecca Lee Crumpler and Black History Month. In 1864, Crumpler became the first Black American woman to earn a degree in medicine, awarded by the forerunner of BUSM, the New England Female Medical College. Congratulations, Loretta!
Lastly, I hope you all enjoy this Super Bowl weekend, and to those of you planning to watch the game, please take extra precautions to limit contact with those outside your nuclear family. The Super Bowl is the last opportunity this winter for a major indoor “super-spreader” event and we want to give that opponent a head fake and notch a WIN for A Healthier Mississippi.