We are committed to a holistic review process in our resident selection and seek residents with a wide variety of life experiences, especially those who come from backgrounds that have been historically under-represented in medicine. Diversity, health equity and inclusion are core values of our pediatric residency program and Kaiser Permanente. In our residency, we have the privilege of caring for one of the most diverse patient populations in the country. We remain mindful of healthcare disparities that exist in our society and are committed to providing respectful and equitable care for all our patients. We provide mentorship for our diverse residents as well as outreach opportunities for residents to mentor local high school, college and medical students to improve the pipeline of health care providers from under-represented backgrounds. Our residents engage in community-based partnerships through our REACH program and have opportunities to participate in global health work.
Addressing Systemic Racism
In response to the killings of George Floyd and countless other African-Americans, our residency program is working to further acknowledge and address the stark inequalities that impact the lives of our colleagues and communities. Our residents have attended White Coats for Black Lives events, Dialogue Circles to share personal experiences of racism, and presentations by nationally-renowned speakers on topics such as ACES (Dr. Nadine Burke Harris) and the impact of zip code on health care outcomes (Dr. Anthony Iton). Our Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Committee, which includes residents and faculty, coordinates activities such as curriculum development and a cultural humility training for our residents.
Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee
The Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics Equity Inclusion and Diversity Committee, a working group of residents and leadership, commits to transforming our residency program by centering on comprehensive, equitable care through URM recruitment and retention, comprehensive antiracist training and direct community engagement, thereby fostering an authentically inclusive community of action.
Goals
- Create an equitable institutional climate at Kaiser Oakland Pediatrics that is committed to prioritizing diversity and inclusion through: 1) recruitment and retention of URM residents and attendings, and 2) cultivating a culture of open dialog, reflection, and action.
- Train physicians to provide equity-based care through a curriculum that focuses on systemic racism, social determinants of health, ACES & trauma informed care, structural competency, implicit bias and cultural humility.
- Become students of the community we serve to 1) foster empathy and understanding and 2) build sustainable community engagement that is accountable to and increasingly reflects the lived experiences of patients, families and communities of Oakland and the Bay Area.
- Develop residents who understand the principles of social justice and civic responsibility so that he/she/they may leverage the unique role of physicians to advocate for marginalized people in our society.
Kaiser Permanente Commitment
As an organization, Kaiser Permanente is committed to advancing equity and addressing systemic racism. In the video below, Greg A. Adams, chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, shares his personal experiences with discrimination as an African-American man, as well as his multi-tiered approach, including $100 million investments, to curb racism.
- Talent Programs to Identify and address opportunity to advance equity in our workforce with workforce equity analysis
- Accelerate diverse talent pipeline
- Belong @ KP to enhance inclusive and psychologically safe workplace climate
- Workforce training to promote new habits and reduce unconscious bias in key focus areas
- Equitable care health outcomes Advisory Board
- Impact Investments and grants to support 2,000+ black and other minority-owned businesses
- Additional $25M to fund solutions to systemic racism and trauma
Read more about Kaiser’s commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Community and Global Health
Given our commitment to health equity, we recognize that community and global health opportunities are valuable educational experiences. Kaiser Permanente Northern California supports residents in community and global health elective rotations, covering resident time and often assisting with travel expenses. Please see the link below for more information:
