Culture & Opportunities

The Big Picture

At Golisano Children's Hospital, we are dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive space where faculty, staff, and trainees can thrive. This mission is rooted in the belief that diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice are fundamental pillars of pediatric and adolescent health care, and that when our teams feel empowered and engaged they do their best work providing exceptional care to our young patients and their families.

Why it’s Important, And How We'll Do It

• Equity in Opportunity: We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all members of our faculty, staff, and trainee community to grow, succeed, and make their own meaningful contributions to our hospital's mission.
• Inclusive Work Environment: We strive to foster a work environment that embraces diversity, where every voice is valued and heard. We actively encourage collaboration and open dialogue among our team members to harness the richness of different perspectives.
• Professional Development: We seek to invest in our community’s continuous learning and development, offering resources and support to help them reach their full potential. We believe that empowering our team members ultimately enhances the care we provide to our patients.
• Cultural Competence: We recognize the importance of cultural awareness and humility in healthcare. We are dedicated to providing ongoing training and education to ensure that our team members are thoughtful with respect to the diverse needs of the children and families we serve.
• Health Equity: We are committed to addressing health disparities and working to ensure that all children receive the highest quality of care, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or other factors. Through various efforts including the Community Pillar of our strategic plan and the Hoekelman Center for Community Pediatrics, our teams actively engage with our community to understand and address their unique healthcare challenges.
• Accountability: We are accountable for creating and maintaining an equitable and inclusive space. We regularly assess our progress, set measurable goals, and adjust our strategies to ensure that we are continually advancing our mission.
• Collaboration: Our teams collaborate with community organizations, educational institutions, and healthcare partners to strengthen our efforts in promoting equity and inclusion in pediatric healthcare, both within our hospital and beyond.

By embracing these principles and taking concrete actions to create a more equitable and inclusive environment, Golisano Children's Hospital is enriching the lives of our faculty, staff, and trainees and impacting the health and well-being of the children and families we serve.

Goals & Accomplishments

Goal: Enhanced and centralized departmental processes with a focus on equitable and inclusive practices

Accomplishments:

• Recruitment – successful recruitment of new faculty and staff.
• Promotion and tenure – ongoing work to diversify the backgrounds and expertise of promotions committee members.
• Leadership 360 – continued to integrate 360 division feedback into the annual review for division directors.

Goal: Focused on inclusion and equity for Advanced Practice Provider colleagues.

Accomplishments:

• Ensured APP representation in strategy, QI, health equity, and wellness workspaces.

Goal: Supported the institutional Equity and Anti-Racism Action Plan

Accomplishments:

• Increased collaboration with educational and human resources leadership
• Educated faculty on career development topics
• Ongoing enrollment of pediatrics fellowship trainees in the Susan B Anthony and Fredrick Douglass Scholars program, which support their development in understanding and addressing health inequity.

Goal: Local recognition

Accomplishments:

• Received Rochester Academy of Medicine DEI Innovation Award.

Goal: National representation

Accomplishments:

• Integrated the AAMC Foundational Principles of Inclusion Excellence findings into the GCH Strategic Plan
• Participating in the Massachusetts General Hospital Disparities Leadership Program.

Publication

• Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Common Inpatient Safety Outcomes in a Cohort of Children’s Hospitals.  British Medical Journal BMJ Quality and Safety

Current Projects

• Developing the role of a strategic equity coach.
• Identifying DEI projects across GCH and the Department of Pediatrics to leverage expertise and de-silo equity-focused activities.
• Recognizing and operationalizing time/effort support for DEI work.
• Microlearning partnerships with the Office of Equity and Inclusion.
• Initiate a GCH Disparities Steering Team through the Disparities Leadership Program
• Create a business plan for the GCH Safety Disparities Team and establish a reporting relationship with URMC Health Equity Efforts

Learn More About Our Plan in Action

• Inclusive Workforce Award: Department of Pediatrics at URMC – Leadership in the Department earn university-wide recognition for fostering an inclusive culture.

More Information

For further information on the Culture and Opportunity goal, please contact: Kate Greenberg, M.D., Jessica Shand, M.D., M.H.S., Jan Schriefer, M.B.A., DrPh, Jeff Yaeger, M.D., Andrew Cohen, Ph.D., Kimberly Braithwaite, Nicola Burroughs, Heather Wensley, N.P., Saabirah Campo