Internal Medicine Residency Diversity Action Council

The mission of the IM Residency Diversity Action Council (DAC) is to encourage residents to challenge racism and health inequities in medicine through academic and interprofessional discussion and action, while also promoting a more diverse and inclusive medical community. One of the founding members and faculty advisors includes Dr. Sakeina Howard-Wilson, a former resident of the IM residency. 

The council aims to achieve its mission through the following initiatives:

Education Lectures/Journal Clubs: Under the guidance of UMass faculty advisors and faculty volunteers, residents create presentations that critically analyze how racism in medicine and social justice issues affects vulnerable populations. IM Residents use the most up-to-date evidence on such topics to curate a presentation that further examines the impact of these issues on patient health outcomes. The DAC's first presentation in 2022, titled "COVID-19 and Health Care Disparities: A Closer Look," focused on critically evaluating the disproportionate mortality rates among racial/ethnic individuals compared to their counterparts while utilizing a health equity lens. As a result of their hard work and the impact of this presentation, the DAC members received the prestigious honor of being invited to present their work at Medical Grand Rounds in 2022 and 2023. DAC members presented additional work during Medical Grand Rounds in November 2024. You may view their presentation here.

Community Engagement: The DAC strives to create a safe space for residents to learn and engage in discussions on real-world social justice issues that affect the UMass Chan Community. These discussions have the potential to generate promising solutions for enhancing the culture, health equity, and quality at UMass Chan, benefiting both residents and patients.