Communicating with Leaders: A Panel Discussion

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Location: MMEC, Room 3-101

Are you an early career faculty member looking to enhance your self-advocacy skills and access the resources necessary for your professional growth? Join us for a session where you’ll discover best practices for effective communication with leaders. Our panelist will share practical examples and strategies that you can start using right away in your professional life. While this session is designed for early career faculty, everyone is welcome to attend.

  • Fadi Salloum, Ph.D., FAHA, FAPS: Professor and Interim Chair, Physiology and Biophysics
  • Patricia Sime, M.D., FRCP: Professor and Chair, Internal Medicine
  • J.C. Wiggins, M.D.: Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

Learn more and register for the Communicating with Leaders event »

Campus-Wide Events

  • Nov. 18

    Dialogue to Action: Community-building Circles to Foster a Culture of Respect and a Shared Sense of Belonging

    Monday, Nov. 18

    Date: Monday, November 18, 2024
    Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
    Location: MMEC, Room 6-101

    The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is launching a new resource to foster more meaningful intergroup relationships and communications – Dialogue to Action: Community-building Circles to Foster a Culture of Respect and a Shared Sense of Belonging. A series of Community-building Circles open to faculty, staff, and students are scheduled over the next few months that seek to:

    • Create a sense of belonging through sharing stories and active listening.
    • Build and strengthen relationships and connections.

    Register for this event »

  • Nov. 19

    APAMSA & LMSA: Raising Consciousness About Mental Health in Communities of Color

    Tuesday, Nov. 19

    Date: Tuesday, November 19, 2024
    Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
    Location: MMEC, Room 7-101

    Join the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) and the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) at VCU for an important discussion on the unique challenges faced by communities of color in accessing mental health care. This event will feature panelist Gabrielle Oblena, MS, LPC, NCC, a Licensed Professional Counselor at Lifebulb VA, and Oswaldo Moreno, PhD, Associate Professor in the VCU Department of Psychology. Attendees will provide insights that highlight barriers and cultural stigmas surrounding mental health care, as well as learn how we, as future physicians, can empower these communities. Lunch will be provided, and we hope to see you there!

    Learn more and register for this event »

  • Nov. 22

    Stepping In 4 Respect: Creating a Culture of Respect and Inclusion

    Nov. 22, 9-11 a.m.

    Date: Friday, November 22, 2024
    Time: 9 to 11 a.m.
    Location: MMEC, Room 5-101

    Learn to support your School of Medicine colleagues and respond to situations where you witness discriminatory behavior. Participants will learn how to respond appropriately to discriminatory behavior in three different scenarios:

    1. When a patient or family member exhibits discriminatory behavior
    2. When a team member exhibits discriminatory behavior
    3. When a visitor to our health system exhibits discriminatory behavior

    Register for this event »

DEI in the News

Dialogue: What We Believe

We reaffirm the core values of human dignity and of mutual, unconditional respect, and we acknowledge our responsibility to condemn racism and all forms of discrimination.

Our students, trainees, faculty, staff, alumni and community members are valued partners who provide essential perspective and context for how we more forthrightly conduct this work. Listening is the first step in making meaningful change, and we are inspired and humbled by the feedback and engagement from our School of Medicine community.

Join the conversation

Action: What We Are Doing

We are collaborating across our campus, health system and university to foster a welcoming community that supports and values people of all cultural backgrounds and life experiences and makes our medical school a more diverse and representative place to work.

Cultivating such an environment is essential to the fulfillment of our mission to improve the quality of health care for humanity, and we are committed to engaging in dialogue across the breadth of our community to fuel our short-term, mid-range and long-term actions.

Read more about our initiatives

Engagement

Where We Are Headed

As a pivotal step in turning dialogue into action, the School of Medicine is proud to announce its inaugural Inclusion Council. Members include students, trainees, faculty, staff, alumni and community members who are dedicated to this vital journey.

We remain committed to communicating openly and forthrightly about pertinent developments and activities moving forward, and we welcome your continued input, advocacy and engagement.

Learn more

Learn more about other efforts to address race, diversity, equity and inclusion across VCU’s campuses and in the community.

DEI Resources