Initiatives Highlighting CHOP’s Efforts in Diversity and Equity

Read about initiatives that support our efforts to grow a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the patient population we serve at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

The Department of Pediatrics Summer Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Research (SUMMR) Program aims to increase diversity in the next generation of clinicians and scientists. Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) medical students gain early exposure to CHOP by spending eight weeks of the summer in both clinical and research environments working with international experts in pediatric care and child health research. Learn more about the program.

The Second Look Weekend aims to provide URiM residency candidates with an opportunity to revisit and experience CHOP (and Philadelphia) at the end of the interview season. We are proud to report that for the resident class of 2022, URiM physicians will compose 24% of the class, the largest in the history of the residency program.

The URiM Faculty Dinner Series provides faculty with a venue to candidly discuss challenges in the workplace and ways in which URiM physicians and faculty can be better supported. These dinners are an important venue for peer mentoring between junior and senior faculty.

The Annual Celebration of Women Faculty and Physicians at CHOP is a networking event hosted by the Department of Pediatrics for all women-identified faculty and physicians across all departments at CHOP. This event provides women with an opportunity to network and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

The Annual Leadership Conference for Women Faculty and Physicians at CHOP provides a forum to discuss the current state at CHOP regarding women and leadership roles, identify challenges women face as leaders, and discuss strategies for how to address these challenges.

The Bias and Disparities Curriculum established by the Pediatrics Residency Program ensures that residents are exposed to the principles of bias and how it contributes to disparities in care and affects their relationship with patients, families and peers. Additionally, we have implemented physician-focused implicit bias training for senior leaders including chairs, associate chairs, division chiefs and training program directors. These are just some of the ways that education is a core priority of the department.