Members of the Department of Surgery: top row, left to right: Jocelyn Rollins, Frank Spradley, Heidi Cottrell, Jared Davis, Kelly Brister, and Adam Protos; and bottom row left to right, Ashok Kumar CJ, Ashley Taylor, Shuntaye Batson, Chris Anderson, Chinenye Iwuchukwu and Jenetta Thompson

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Surgery

Our mission

The department of surgery values diversity. We understand it as essential to both our values and to achieving our mission of providing the highest quality surgical care to all residents of Mississippi. This is reflected in efforts to recruit and develop educational programs and faculty that are inclusive and equitable with respect to opportunities, impact, and leadership. These goals represent an overwhelming obligation but it is critical to ensure equal and equitable life-saving interventions throughout our state. Fulfilling this charge requires a commitment to diversity by having a department that is reflective of the patients we serve. In this vein, we continually renew our enthusiasm to build and maintain a department that is inclusive and respectful of everyone.

Our commitment is borne out by our actions to provide expert care to our patients and educational and career opportunities to our staff regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender, race, age, culture, traditions, histories, and values. This commitment is not confined to the walls of the Department, but extends to our community engagement efforts to maximize our impact in traditionally underserved communities. We know that embracing diversity in both our patients and our staff will enrich and enable our mission of providing the highest quality surgical care possible to our fellow Mississippians.

Members of the committee include:

  • Christopher Anderson, MD
  • Shuntaye Batson, MD
  • Jared Davis, MD
  • Chinenye Iwuchukwu, MD
  • Ashok Coimbatore Jeyakumar, MD
  • Felicitas Koller, MD
  • Michael Morris, MD
  • Adam Protos, MD
  • David Sawaya, MD
  • Frank Spradley, PhD

Helpful resources

Learn more about diversity, inclusion and equity efforts at the following websites:

Contact us

To learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion at the Department of Surgery or to report a concern, send email to: dei-surgery@umc.edu. This mailbox is confidential and its contents will be treated as such. Only DEI leadership have access to its contents.