Dear Colleagues-Friends,
An important part of building community is establishing networks of support that meet individual needs. It is in that spirit that members of our Inclusion Council have spent the last few months developing our school’s first OUTlist, which I’m pleased to help officially launch today.
The OUTlist was created to promote diversity and a positive environment for our LGBTQIA+ faculty, staff and learners, serving as a resource for those within this community who seek connection with individuals with a shared lived experience. The OUTlist elevates the visibility of our LGBTQIA+ community and is a reflection of the shared desire of us all to be understood, to belong and to make a difference.
The importance of this milestone for the School of Medicine cannot be understated. With the launch of the OUTlist, we open opportunities for our collective community to elevate our academic excellence through an enriched intellectual discourse on LGBTQIA+ health and opportunities to continually pursue the vital need for more literacy in areas of sexual orientation and gender expression in health care.
While this is an important first step, the vibrancy of the OUTlist will rely on the continued support and participation of our School of Medicine community. We are proud of our faculty, staff, students and residents who have decided to join the list and look forward to its continued expansion as we celebrate the rich diversity that each of us brings to our School of Medicine.
Our thanks go to our students and faculty who brought the idea of creating an OUTlist to the forefront, to our Inclusion Council and Web and Communications Team for their dedication to the development of this resource and to all who contributed their experiences to make this list a reality. I am as proud as I am grateful to each colleague and friend who has selflessly put their name forward to include on the OUTlist – I applaud and admire your leadership, thank you.
If you have questions, or would like more information about our OUTlist, please contact Dr. Kevin Harris, senior associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, at kevin.harris2@vcuhealth.org.
With gratitude,
