UMass Chan Medical School
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

UMass Chan Medical School 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 UMass Chan. Further, UMass Chan 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.
https://www.umassmed.edu/som/admissions/apply/statement-of-non-discrimination/#:~:text=UMass%20Chan%20Medical%20School%20does,disability%2C%20ancestry%20or%20any%20other

The UMass Chan Medical School (UMass Chan) 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.

Individuals are encouraged to report the incident with 90 days of occurrence though the Medical School will review complaints of harassment or discrimination that are filed after the recommended time period.

During this reporting period, there the Title IX policy has been updated and a new training program was procured. The Medical School is actively hiring a Campus Climate Director. 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.

Programs to recruit students:

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.

The Worcester Pipeline Collaborative targets potential students from underrepresented, educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. UMass Chan partners with Worcester public schools, Worcester State University (WSU), Quinsigamond Community College (QCC), Plumley Village (low-income housing complex), Abbott Bioresearch Center (ABC) and UMass Memorial Medical Center (UMMHC). The collaborative includes activities such as mentorships, job-shadowing, tutoring, clinical, observerships, research internships, after-school science programs, visiting scientist programs, a speaker's bureau and family involvement activities. https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/outreach-programs/worcester-pipeline-collaborative/

UMass Chan also offers the High School Health Careers Program (HSHCP) is a four week, tuition-free, residential program for sophomore and junior year high school students. Created in the 1970s, the HSHCP targets Massachusetts high school sophomores and juniors from groups that are under-represented in BBHP and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. This program encourages participants to work smart; improve study, communication and time management skills; graduate from high school; and prepare for college.
https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/outreach-programs/high-school-health-careers-program/

UMass Chan sponsors the College Summer Enrichment Program (SEP), a tuition-free four-week residential program for undergraduate sophomores and juniors interested in entering the health professions. https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/outreach-programs/summer-enrichment-programs/

The UMass Chan Medical School Summer Undergraduate Research Program is a non-credit, ten-week, structured research experience sponsored by UMass Chan Office of Outreach Programs. The program consists of "hands-on" laboratory research with an investigator serving as a mentor, role model and advisor. The Summer Undergraduate Research Program is funded by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and UMass Chan Provost’s Office Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE). https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/outreach-programs/summer-undergraduate-research-program/

For residents who are considered learners, UMass Chan has a program called Diversity for Him to increase the proportion of black men in medicine.

Programs to recruit academic staff:

The Office of health equity is heading the UMass Chan’s Cluster Hire Program which seeks to increase representation of groups underrepresented in medicine and the biomedical sciences. Each cluster consists of faculty from various departments whose expertise centers around broad subject areas. https://www.umassmed.edu/healthequity/faculty-diversity/

The Health Equity Recruitment and Career Advancement (HERCA) program was established in 2021. This program facilitates the hiring of clinical faculty who advance UMass Chan’s institutional Health Equity goals, as outlined in the IMPACT 2025 strategic plan. This recruitment program encourages those applicants who have identities and backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) to join the scientific and educational community of UMass Chan. The HERCA program acknowledges the contributions of faculty who advance UMass Chan's strategic Health Equity goals as outlined in our strategic plan (IMPACT 2025) by broadening representation and cognitive diversity among our clinical teaching faculty. The program provides a supplemental compensation benefit, an assigned mentor, and a mentoring plan.
https://www.umassmed.edu/healthequity/faculty-diversity/

Programs to recruit non-academic staff:
The Office of DEI has the Emerging professionals program which is dedicated to recruiting staff, typically college students/hosted for 6-8 weeks, assessing their interests, and placing them in the corresponding career path.

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.

Programs for students:

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.

The LIGHT program is a mentorship program for students and the Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers a coaching program for students of color. Additionally, the Diversity and Inclusion Office (DIO) offers a step 1 retreat for students of color as well as mentoring opportunities.

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.

Programs for academic and non-academic staff:
The Office of Health Equity and the Diversity and Inclusion Office offer peer and support groups to staff.
The AALANA group supports faculty of color through collaboration, celebration, and knowledge, as well as providing mentoring opportunities, professional development, and networking events. The Colorful Voices Network, a POC-centered affinity group, is dedicated to supporting UMass Chan employees' growth both personally and professionally. Other groups include the Disabilities Group, the LGBTA committee, the Professional Women's Group, and the Veteran's group. https://www.umassmed.edu/healthequity/faculty-diversity/

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.

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 College Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) sponsors students interested in entering the health professions. It gives students the opportunity to meet faculty members and learn about opportunities in the healthcare industry. https://www.umassmed.edu/gsbs/outreach-programs/summer-enrichment-programs/

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, UMass Chan does not have dorms or campus housing for students.