Introducing an online directory of LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff at the VCU School of Medicine

On behalf of our School of Medicine’s Inclusion Council, we are excited to let you know about a new initiative intended to give greater visibility to and acknowledgment of our support for our LGBTQIA+ colleagues and learners – the OUTlist. The OUTlist will be posted on the School of Medicine’s website and will feature learners, faculty and staff who, through their visibility and advocacy, are helping fulfill our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive university community.

The idea for our School of Medicine’s OUTlist originated from our medical students and is based on a national trend in higher education to publicly acknowledge and celebrate the spectrum of identities that make up the LGBTQIA+ community. The list has been developed with the support of Dean Peter Buckley and through the collaboration of members of the Inclusion Council and Dr. Joel Moll, an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine.

When the OUTlist officially launches at the end of August, our School of Medicine will join other academic institutions such as the University of Pennsylvania, Emory University and the University of Maryland who have already developed similar lists. But to make our OUTlist a reality, we need your participation and support.

If you are interested in participating in this initiative and serving as part of an informal network of contacts, mentors and advisors who are “out” at the VCU School of Medicine, please complete this survey by Friday, August 20, 2021. You will be able to control how much of the information you provide is posted on the website.

This is the first of many initiatives being undertaken by the Inclusion Council and our School of Medicine as we implement our diversity, equity and inclusion action plan and continuously strive for our workplace and learning environment to benefit from the intersection of the demographic and social milieu of our colleagues, learners and the communities we serve.

We hope the OUTlist will continue to grow and foster an inclusive community that is appreciative of the full richness of our diversity and values the contributions of all. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.