The Department of Psychiatry embraces and values diversity within our patients, staff, trainees, and faculty and seeks to provide a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all. In all our activities, we commit individually and collectively to reducing and eliminating long-standing inequities in research, teaching, and clinical care. We also recognize that voices from minoritized communities have historically been excluded from the practice of and leadership in psychiatry. Therefore, we hold ourselves accountable as agents of change by engaging in the ongoing work required to dismantle inequities and promote inclusivity in psychiatry.
Strengthening Our Culture
Our Departmental community of clinicians, scientists, educators, trainees, and staff reflects a broad variety of backgrounds, experience, expertise, and perspectives. Building on this strong foundation, we are committed to strengthening our community by expanding the diversity of our members and championing and affirming a culture of inclusion. Parallel to this commitment, we strive to foster an environment in which every individual is free to be their authentic self and to realize their fullest potential.
“In the time since I joined this Department, I have been excited about the resolve and intention put into figuring out a shared path for celebrating differences, removing historical barriers for people to achieve their full potential, and increasing awareness, knowledge, and action to positively influence the outcomes of the complex ways people interact with systems and institutions.”
- César G Escobar-Viera, MD, PhD
We recognize that diverse representation in medical schools, residency training programs, graduate programs, and faculty positions is not proportional to the general US population, especially for individuals identifying as Black, Hispanic or Latina/o/x, and Indigenous. We also recognize that this problem is a result of historic, systemic racism and minoritization. Moreover, the ongoing problems related to equity in the City of Pittsburgh, as demonstrated in Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race report, add additional, troubling layers to a deeply rooted issue.
In the face of these challenges, we believe the most powerful way to enact meaningful change is to explore every avenue within our own spheres of influence using a deliberate, relentless, and sustainable approach to diversity, equity, and inclusivity. The work of the Department’s Recruitment, Retention, and Development Workgroup further informed and facilitated our focus on intentional, inclusive, and equitable approaches to recruiting, retaining, and advancing individuals from diverse backgrounds at all career levels. Working in partnership with experts in the Pitt and UPMC environment, our Department has adopted additional equitable and inclusive strategies to attract a talented, diverse candidate pool, and to augment the recruitment of individuals traditionally underrepresented in science and medicine. Equally important is the retention of individuals from historically stigmatized cultures and communities.
Our Recruitment, Retention, and Development Workgroup developed a Recruitment Guide with the primary objective of supporting intentional, inclusive, and equitable approaches to recruiting individuals from diverse backgrounds to join our department at all career levels. To request a copy of the guide, please contact Lisa Murphree (murphreea@upmc.edu).
We are committed to providing a safe, equitable, and celebratory academic environment where we support all identities, including gender and sexual orientation minorities and individuals with disabilities, in their career development goals.
An important key to effectively recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce is continuously monitoring progress over time and adjusting strategies accordingly. Through data collection, focus groups, surveys, town halls, and one-on-one conversations, we are monitoring the changing composition of our Department, staying abreast of our community members’ opinions, and enacting action plans to accomplish our goal to be a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive Department for all.
Respect, Responsibility and Empowerment in Medicine (RREM)
The Respect, Responsibility and Empowerment in Medicine (RREM) residency curriculum is aimed at creating a longitudinal curriculum that addresses racism within medicine and psychiatry.
Diversity, Inclusivity, Cultural Humility, and Equity (DICE) Committee
The WPH Clinical Psychology Internship Diversity, Inclusivity, Cultural Humility, and Equity Committee (DICE) was established in 2019 to ensure the ongoing commitment of our clinical internship to furthering cultural humility and social justice advocacy within our faculty and trainees.
Jeannette E. South‐Paul, MD Visiting Clerkship (JSPVC)
Named for Jeannette E. South‐Paul, MD, a distinguished PittMed graduate, this program is designed to expand opportunities for visiting underrepresented minority (URM) medical students to explore residency opportunities at UPMC.
- Research faculty with a focus on health equity
- Clinical faculty with a focus on health equity
Our Strategy
The cultivation of meaningful and sustained growth in diversity, equity, and inclusivity in our Departmental community is a responsibility shared by each of us. This shared-responsibility approach depends on full engagement by—and individual contributions from—every member of our community. Initial opportunities to engage in this work have included a series of focus groups and a Department-wide culture and climate survey; the creation of a Task Force to inform the development of desired culture change and to set goals, strategies, and tactics; targeted workgroups charged with implementing the tactics identified by the Task Force; and the formation of permanent leadership structure, namely the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity, and Community Enrichment Leadership and Advisory Council.
Commitment to the Department’s three-fold mission necessitates building a pipeline of diverse and talented scientists, clinicians, and professionals. A necessary part of this effort requires working to counteract the persistent inequities of both medical care and training that have been imposed upon many populations.
Pitt Psychiatry has created an exceptionally supportive and experientially rich training environment, and our goal is to increase the number of individuals from diverse backgrounds participating in, and matriculating from, our training programs. To reach this goal, we have closely studied how we can engage the true breadth of individuals passionate about science and health care.
Clear, consistent and common understanding of our mission and values is conveyed through numerous channels, including bi-annual community updates, leadership communication, and invited speakers, setting the tone for Departmental culture and expectations.
To neutralize bias and develop our Departmental culture, our education and training workgroup has created workshops with a focus on structural racism and institutional bias in behavioral health, upstander training, and gender bias in behavioral health settings. More workshops are under development. We encourage all members of our community to participate in programs coordinated through the University of Pittsburgh, particularly the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program (DICP).
An annual survey provides ongoing assessment of Departmental work in this area, collecting perceptions on how the desired culture aligns with or differs from the experienced culture, as well as gathering ideas for new culture-building strategies. The survey workgroup continuously refines and improves the survey through input from staff, faculty, and trainees. For transparency, the survey results are shared Department-wide.