Trainee Initiatives and Education

Trainee initiatives

• Resident-run Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: The Resident-run Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee was created in 2019 and aims to bring about awareness, discuss and advocate for various DEI topics. The committee holds quarterly events and has several longitudinal projects. Examples of longitudinal projects include a pipeline projects with various high school students interested in medicine and a medical student/resident mentoring program which includes students from University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Kansas and Kansas City University. Quarterly events include "Hard Topic Talks" and Diversity journal clubs involving discussions of topics of DEI and how they are represented in various media and literature. Following the death of George Floyd, the DEI committee designed a sticker for staff badges to show allyship and solidarity. The residency program also organized a demonstration welcoming all Children's Mercy and University Health staff to reflect on the death of George Floyd and countless others before him as well as make a commitment to improving the safety and health of people of color.
  
  
• UNITED (Uniting Numerous medical Trainees for Equity and Diversity): UNITED was created in 2019 and is an advisory group that brings together residents and fellows from Children’s Mercy Hospital and University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). The program aims to foster and develop relationships across specialties, as well as advocate for diversity among all UMKC/Children’s Mercy residency and fellowship programs. Through planning and hosting social events and educational workshops, UNITED aims to bring people from all backgrounds together, to inspire collaborate and support the exchange of ideas on how to make UMKC/Children’s Mercy a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive work and learning space for all.
  
  
• STAHR (Students in Medicine, Academia, Health and Research): A multi-training level mentoring program involving underrepresented minority students from University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry, as well as residents/fellows/faculty from UMKC and Children’s Mercy. Every year, Children’s Mercy has multiple residents, fellows and faculty that participate in this program.

Trainee education

Cultural competency

Topics related to cultural competency are interwoven into the curriculum throughout the year, in the form of Diversity Grand Rounds, Cultural competency lectures for the residents, events from the Office of Faculty Development and Office of Equity and Diversity. Topics include LGBT Health issues, working with interpreters, navigating conscious and unconscious bias, language barriers, health equity and trauma-informed healing.

Global Health track

A longitudinal opportunity to provide residents with an extensive introduction to the health care issues of children worldwide and to encourage applying the learned skills to address these issues throughout their careers. The track culminates in an opportunity to travel abroad for an international elective in the third year of residency. An Advanced Global Health track is available. Upon completion of the track, you will receive a certificate in Global Health. Read more about the Global Health track.

HEART Curriculum

The Health Equity Anti-Racism Talks (HEART) is a comprehensive curriculum designed to train pediatric residents in anti-racism and equity principles. Our goal is to equip future pediatricians with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become advocates for marginalized populations and champions of diversity. Through a longitudinal curriculum that utilizes published resources, role play and simulation, residents will learn how to navigate and challenge systemic disparities in healthcare. We are dedicated to creating a new generation of pediatricians who are committed to promoting health equity and dismantling racism in healthcare.  HEART aligns with the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) requirements for residency training, specifically focusing on  Entrustable Professional Activity (EPA) related to promoting health strategies and quality improvement methods to address racism, discrimination, and other inequities in pediatric care.