DEI curriculum and trainings

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Health Equity Training

Not confined to low- and middle-income countries, well-known health and societal inequities exist worldwide, yet many North American anesthesiology training programs do not formally address these issues. Furthermore, anesthesiologists’ essential roles in perioperative, pain, and critical care provide them a unique opportunity to help identify systemic differences and drive the change to address them.

That’s why, in support of the UCSF mission to advance health worldwide, we’re proud to be working with our Center for Health Equity in Surgery and Anesthesia (CHESA) to develop and implement formal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as well as health equity (HE) curricula within the anesthesia, general surgery, and orthopaedic surgery residency training programs. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Curriculum

Tailored for the specific work and training environments of attendees, and created by Odinakachukwu Ehie, MD, FASA, Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, our DEI curriculum examines race and culture in what Ehie calls “very curated safe spaces.” Over the course of four two-hour sessions, small groups participate in interactive exercises that uncover unconscious biases and explore power - privilege dynamics. Trainees learn about research that demonstrates first how these biases cause harm – and, second, how heightened awareness can mitigate the harm. Implemented in our training programs, residents participate in the first three workshops in the series during their CA1 year, completing the fourth workshop, developed with the help of Professor Rondall Lane, MD, MPH, as CA2s. The curriculum has also been implemented for faculty and staff in the Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care.