UMass Chan Medical School
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, national origin, covered veteran status, disability, ancestry or any other characteristic protected by law in employment, admissions, participation in its programs, services and activities, and selection of vendors who provide services or products to UMMS. Further, UMMS is firmly committed to ensuring that all who work, study, visit or seek treatment here may do so in an environment free of harassment and/or discrimination. www.umassmed.edu/dio/equal-opportunity/ppg-discrimination/

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) does have a discrimination complaint procedure where if an individual believes they have been subject to discrimination based on any characteristic protected by law, the individual should initiate a complaint immediately by calling or visiting the Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO) to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. There is also the option to file a formal complaint through an online form accessible from the DIO's office website.

During this reporting period, there has been no current actions implemented by the institution’s discrimination response protocol. Previous actions have included: creating special resources and information to prevent or address sexual misconduct, forming a Title VI Committee consisting of reps from across the campus and reviewing and updating sexual misconduct policies and procedures.

The Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO) and the Minority Academic Advancement Committee (MAAC) work on strategies for recruiting URM faculty. DIO trains our faculty search committees on guidelines for recruiting a diverse workforce. More information can be found at https://www.umassmed.edu/dio/resources/recruiting-diverse-faculty/ https://www.umassmed.edu/globalassets/diversity-and-equality-opportunity-office/documents/guide-to-recruiting-a-diverse-faculty-revised-6-5-2017.pdf.

We conduct Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) with the intent of reducing bias in the student interview process. DIO supports the Office of Medical Education in the development and execution of the BaccMD Pathways Program. Selecting applicants from our UMass undergraduate institutions, the program contributes to the creation of a student body in the Medical School that will contribute to a diverse health care work force to serve the needs of the commonwealth, with a focus on primary care and under served communities. DIO works in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs and the Graduate Medical Education Office in recruitment and execution of the URM Residency Recruitment Program. This four-week subsidized elective for fourth year medical students from underrepresented backgrounds serves to enhance the diversity of our residency programs and provides an opportunity for students to consider UMass Memorial Health Care in order to better serve Worcester County’s growing multicultural population. The UMass Baccalaureate MD (BaccMD) Pathway Program is a multiphase program that provides selected students from the UMass undergraduate campuses with the opportunity of provisional acceptance into UMass Medical School. Students who are from racial or ethnic groups underrepresented in medicine nationally and in Massachusetts, who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, or are First Generation College graduates are eligible to apply to the BaccMD Program.

Additionally, UMMS has several pipeline programs for non-academic staff, including the Building Brighter Futures with Youth program which places students from the Worcester public schools with departments across the Medical School. The Emerging Professionals Summer Internship Program (EPSIP) is a ten-week paid internship experience for talented underrepresented minority college students. This program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore potential administrative careers in an academic health science center.

The institution has several support networks for underrepresented minority (URM) groups including a Civility Committee, Cultural Diversity Committee, Disabilities Committee, International Committee, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender and Allies Committee, Mature Workforce Committee, and a Minority Academic Advancement Committee which all provide support to students, faculty, and both academic and academic staff of under-represented groups at the UMass Medical School.

Specifically, The International Committee works to support a welcoming and a more inclusive environment for international employees, students and scholars who are often members of URM groups. The committee, in collaboration with the Immigration Services Office of Human Resources, works to assure a seamless transition into Massachusetts and the University. The Women's Faculty Committee of UMMS/UMMHC mission is to address the needs of women faculty and promote the status of women in the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the UMass Memorial Health Care clinical system. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (LGBTA) Committee supports LGBTA faculty, staff and students in the University Community. The committee works to create a visible network of support and serves as a resource for the UMMS LGBT community.

URM students also have the opportunity to participate mentoring circles which provide a diverse group of medical students and residents exposure to faculty in a team-based setting that allows for informal dialog, mentoring, and learning across the circle. The program provides participants with enhanced professional growth, varied perspectives through peer and faculty mentoring, and an expanded network of colleagues.

As a graduate institution UMass Medical School supports underrepresented groups pursuing terminal degrees through scholarships, including awarding "Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students" (SDS), a program funded through the Department of Health and Human Services and is awarded to students who come from environments that inhibit individuals from obtaining knowledge, skills, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from medical school.

The Minority Academic Advancement Committee makes recommendations to recruit and retain minority faculty and staff. The MAAC continues to focus on faculty and resident recruitment but has also begun to support efforts to recruit and retain postdoctoral fellows and students in all three graduate schools. In addition, the committee has made recommendations to the University leadership to adopt, for all departments, best practice guidelines for recruitment and retention. The MAAC has also made themselves available to departments to support their recruitment and retention efforts.

Also, the Faculty Diversity Scholars Program (FDSP), administered by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, is part of UMMS’s multifaceted approach to workforce diversity. The primary goal of the FDSP is to recruit new faculty (including the School of Medicine, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and the Graduate School of Nursing) from underrepresented groups in the health sciences and to support their successful academic career advancement. In order to address departments with minority underutilization, African American and Hispanic/Latino(a) faculty are among the underrepresented groups who specifically would benefit from this program.

UMass Memorial Health Care and UMass Medical School provide residents in all generalist and specialist programs opportunities for supervised experiences in both tertiary and community practice through residency and fellowship programs. The fellowship and residency applications include a statement of non-discrimination and web links to diversity and minority support.

Please note, UMMS does not have dorms or campus housing for students.