Our vision and mission are rooted in creating inclusive access to the highest quality care, leading in innovation, knowledge creation and its translation through collaborative learning for the benefit of people and the communities we serve. Over the past year, our department has made significant progress achieving these ideals by strategic support of our people and programs. We have built and promoted highly functional, mission-driven teams with diverse perspectives and backgrounds, promoted safe, inclusive environments where significant debate and the vetting of ideas can occur, and measured our ability to deliver equitable care for all, productive learning environments and produce impactful science serving local and global populations.
Creating superior teams: Recruitment has been a cornerstone of our efforts. We are proud to have recruited and retained faculty members from across the country, bringing new ideas, and perspectives to the table. For residency recruitment, we utilize the ERAS screening process for a holistic review, ensuring a fair and comprehensive evaluation of applicants. Our strong presence at national conferences, including SAEM, ACEP, and LMSA, allows us to share our achievements. We also established a scholarship offering $2,000 to sub-internship rotators who have need in order to mitigate the financial barriers that may prevent our access to the entirety of the talent pool. Additionally, we are more actively sharing events and accomplishments on social media and our website, helping to foster a culture of inclusivity and awareness.
Inclusive access to high quality care: In order to better address disparities in care, we recently held a Health Equity Day in May, highlighting the importance of health equity, a particularly important issue for the patients we see in the Emergency Department. All faculty presenters at residency conference are required to include information addressing health equity related to their topics. Dr. Ajay Kohli’s leadership in the Cultural Determinants of Health & Health Disparities course at Duke School of Medicine exemplifies our dedication to educating future physicians on these important issues.
Our mentorship program, ElevatED, includes initiatives like Civility Champions-led Restorative Justice Sessions that provide a supportive culture and environment for our community.
Translating ideals into action beyond care delivery: In community outreach, our residency’s Annual Service and Outreach Day at Durham Rescue Mission shows our commitment to serving our community. Programs like Duke Health Profession Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) and the City of Medicine Academy, led by one of our Chief residents Dr. Cody Hill, create pipelines for students to explore careers in healthcare.
Dr. Sree Natesan, the SAEM ADIEM president-elect and CORD DEI Chair, ensures that our department continues to lead nationally. Additionally, our presence on the Duke EDI Leadership committee allows us to help implement best practices in achieving our goals.
It is through the effective execution of these strategic priorities that we will ultimately achieve our vision and mission for the Duke Department of Emergency Medicine.