Adriana DaCosta’s experience as a student in the Duke Physician Assistant Program has opened her eyes to many things, among them the need for improved access to health care for Black and Hispanic communities. The realization has led her to partner with a local organization and the Duke Cancer Institute to offer CPR training and resources for historically marginalized groups at health fairs.

Raquel Ruiz, MBA, MAEd, first discovered the importance of including diverse participants in research studies while working as a research assistant in college. Ever since, she has worked in some capacity to help advance health equity. Her passion for EDI most recently led her to the Duke Clinical & Translational Science Institute (CTSI), where part of her team’s work includes building community trust in research.

Fourth-year medical student Mary Moya-Mendez, MS, MHS, shares what motivated her to get involved with a Duke University School of Medicine organization aimed at helping students with a first generation and/or low income (FGLI) background navigate medical school.

Dane Whicker, PhD, grew up as a gay person in Arkansas during a time when marriage equality was a decade away, slurs were both common and accepted, and allies or members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities were hard to find or nonexistent. Those experiences taught Whicker the value of support, acceptance, and open communication while inspiring him to make a difference for other people growing up in difficult circumstances. 

When Sharena Ballard-Hart took over efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center (BIAC) in 2016, she was the only person of color in her unit. The role allowed her the opportunity both to learn more about EDI efforts and resources that she could apply to the BIAC and to connect with other people of color within the School of Medicine. 

Our EDI Spotlight for April 2023 shines on fourth-year medical student (and 2022 Michelle P Winn Award recipient) Sonali Biswas, MPHS.

When Leonor Corsino, MD, MHS, came to Duke as an Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition Fellow in 2006, she had a clear vision of her future as a physician-scientist working to address care, health outcomes, and health disparities for Latino and Hispanic populations.

When Anthony Fuller MD, MScGH, came to Duke as a medical student nine years ago, he hit the ground running. He co-founded the first division dedicated to improving global care for neurology and neurosurgery in the United States. Since then, the Division of Global Neurosurgery and Neurology (DGNN) has provided care for thousands of patients, built infrastructure for sustainable care in multiple countries, and published more than 100 peer reviewed manuscripts.

Duke University School of Medicine is committed to creating a more equitable environment. Effectively assessing progress and sharing data are ways to help make sure leaders reach that goal. That’s where Rebecca Redmond, PhD, comes in. In this month’s EDI Spotlight, Redmond shares about her unique role as director of assessment and research in the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Our final EDI Spotlight of 2022 shines on Julius Wilder, MD, PhD, a gastroenterologist and  hepatologist and Chair of the Department of Medicine’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism committee (DEIAR). Wilder talks to us about balancing his oversight of efforts to improve equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within his Department while still practicing clinical care.