ADEI Strategic Plan and Activities

Strategic Plan

In 2022, MEHP adopted an ADEI Strategic Plan. The ADEI Co-Chairs regularly monitor progress toward the plan’s goals, along with the ADEI Leadership Team and ADEI Committee.

ADEI Activities

  • Department climate: In 2021, an external ADEI consultant conducted a diversity climate survey and led focus groups identifying salient concerns regarding climate, diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department. As of 2023, we have revamped our climate survey, which will be conducted annually to guide ADEI activities.    
     
  • ADEI resources: We share ADEI-related articles and resources on a weekly basis in our departmental announcements, along with faculty and staff accomplishments relevant to ADEI. The ADEI co-chairs also share updates through a periodic newsletter with information on upcoming initiatives, activities, and events. See the most recent newsletter below.
     
  • ADEI funds: MEHP leadership has set aside funds to support department members in pursuit of ADEI activities. The policies and procedures for fund use are available here, as well as several suggestions for possible activities.
     
  • ADEI events:
    • Open Forum Discussions: These discussions provide department members with the opportunity to informally share views, ideas, and reflections regarding current events or recent publications relevant to ADEI. 
    • Monthly Recognition Events: MEHP hosts monthly ADEI events for department members linked to national recognition months, such as Black History Month, Poverty in America Awareness Month, and Native American Heritage Month. We also host an annual event to recognize the many ADEI contributions of department members.
  • Hiring and retention: Health Policy project managers participated in a hiring managers training led by an external consultant to establish and improve diverse hiring practices. As of 2023, we have developed a faculty hiring guide with attention to promoting ADEI and we are in the process of developing a staff hiring guide. All faculty hiring is overseen by a Diversity Search Advisor. Exit interviews for departing staff provide the opportunity to share feedback on ADEI issues.
     
  • Staff Mentoring: The MEHP Staff Mentoring Program officially launched September 2023 and was born from the ADEI Committee’s Strategic Plan. The goals of our program are to provide staff with guidance as they build skills to further their careers, create opportunities for knowledge sharing and provide more experienced staff with training to grow as mentors and leaders.If desired, mentoring can help address navigation of identity-based issues in the workplace. Contact Tangee Streeter for details.
     
  • Pipeline programs:
    • SUMR: Several MEHP faculty work with undergraduate students from across the country through the Penn Leonard Davis Institute’s Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Program (SUMR). This is a pipeline program aimed at preparing undergraduate students from underrepresented minority groups in exploring the field of health services research. MEHP funds at least 2 SUMR scholars annually.
    • GEAR UP: Established in the spring of 2022 with funding from the National Institute of Aging, the Get Experience in Aging Research Undergraduate Program (GEAR UP) supports undergraduate students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds through a 15-month immersive mentored research experience in Penn’s broad community of aging-related health care researchers. This joint venture between the Population Aging Research Center (PARC) and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) is co-directed by MEHP faculty member, Norma Coe, and aims to enhance the diversity of the research workforce in the demography and economics of aging, health, and health care.
    • High School Students: Members of the department support local high school students through participation in Penn’s High School Leadership Program. Contact Amy Ashbridge for details.
  • Seminar speakers: The process for inviting seminar speakers has been revamped to increase the diversity of the speakers, ensure several seminars are dedicated to the topic of health equity, and encourage greater staff participation in nominating speakers. The department has also adopted an honorarium policy to promote consistency and recognition for the contributions of invited speakers.
     
  • Degree programs:
    • Master in Bioethics (MBE): Every syllabus in the MBE program has been reviewed and updated by instructors to ensure diverse voices in course readings and include modules focused on issues of equity, diversity, discrimination, bias, and inclusion. The MBE program also added a "Race & Bioethics" course and has an antidiscrimination policy.
    • Master of Health Care Innovation (MHCI): Diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are core values of the MHCI. Most MHCI courses advance equity through discussions, assignments, lectures, readings, and interviews with experts in industry. The MHCI has a required 1.0CU course devoted to advancing health equity. Because health care innovation is most successful when it is inclusive, the Admissions Committee also pays close attention to diversity of all types when selecting each MHCI cohort. The MHCI team has also compiled a list of external scholarship opportunities with the goal of making the program more accessible to learners across a wide variety of backgrounds.
January 2024 Newsletter

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