Diversity and Inclusion

The Pediatric Residency Program at Stony Brook upholds our University’s mission to provide equitable access to a world-class education in an inclusive, caring, and respectful environment.  We acknowledge the long-standing inequities that exist in the field of pediatrics and recognize the harmful effects of racism, discrimination, and divisiveness on the well-being of children of all races and ethnicities.  In our efforts to improve the health and welfare of all children, we remain committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusivity in every aspect of clinical care, research, and medical education.  We take a firm stand against racism and insensitivity in all venues and forms and pledge to make progress towards correcting inequities that are identified within our medical/educational systems and clinical practice.  One of our central goals at Stony Brook Children's is to create an atmosphere where the many cultural and ethnic backgrounds among patients, faculty, and house staff are not only recognized, but respected, understood, and embraced.

 

Diversity Initiatives within our Pediatric Residency Program

tWe have established a departmental Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, chaired by Dr. Carly Gomes (Faculty Diversity Ambassador for the Department of Pediatrics and Neonatologist) and Dr. Uche Oddiri (Pediatric Critical Care).  The committee, led by faculty and residents, is focused on fostering the development of an inclusive and diverse working environment.  Faculty and residents collaborate to:  

• Promote ongoing education about community issues 
• Develop local DEI initiatives
• Integrate DEI topics and discussions into established conferences including:
  • Schwartz Rounds
  • Grand Rounds
  • Afternoon Case Conference
• Enhance resident learning through integration of DEI topics into our formal residency cirrcula.  Educational content provided for our current residents includes:
  • Health Equity Rounds
  • Didactic Lectures on DEI topic
  • Resident Continuity Practice (RCP) Lectures on DEI topics
  • Simulation training to improve communication with patients
• Host Wellness and extracurricular activities that celebrate diversity of our community including:
  • Potluck
  • Book club
  • Movie night

 

Residents from all Stony Brook Medicine clinical training programs are invited to participate in the GME Inclusion and Diversity Committee.  Through this collaborative effort, our pediatric residents play an important role in continuing to promote and improve representation of underrepresented minority (URM) trainees and faculty, and ensuring that we meet the needs of our diverse community. 

Several years ago, Stony Brook also established a multidisciplinary LGBTQ* Committee, whose mission is, "to review, address, and affirm the specific and unique needs of LGBTQ* individuals, as well as promote respectful and culturally sensitive care to the LGBTQ* community."  Our adolescent medicine faculty have been instrumental in shaping this initiative and in supporting this important effort.  Dr. Allison Eliscu, Adolescent Medicine Division Chief, serves as Medical Director for the LGBTQ* program.  In  2022 Stony Brook University Hospital was named a leader in LGBTQ* health care equity by the National LGBTQ* Healthcare Quality Index of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.  We are currrently in the process of creating a multidisclipinary center for trangender youth and adolescents.   Our program also has created a Transgender Medicine elective for our residents to learn more about transgender care in children and adolescents, including supspecialty care, community-based resources and general pediatric care.  Learn more about LGBTQ* care at Stony Brook here. 

 

Meet Our Department DEI Co-Chairs

 

Dr. Uche Oddiri is a Pediatric Intensivist, the Post-Clerkship Director for Pediatric Undergraduate Medical Education, and one of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee co-chairs.  She also serves in leadership positions on DEI Committees and Taskforces nationally, namely within the Academic Pediatric Association and Society of Critical Care Medicine. 

Dr. Oddiri has a passion to foster belonging.  She strives to uphold a supportive and responsive environment within the department.  She is a firm believer that workforce diversity and inclusion enrich our residency program's culture and innovation.  Her efforts contribute to supporting Stony Brook University's commitment to DEI and promoting a flourishing community.

Dr. Carly Gomes is a neonatologist, the Renaissance School of Medicine Faculty Diversity Ambassador for Pediatrics, and one of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee co-chairs. Dr. Gomes holds DEI leadership positions through the American Academy of Pediatrics and provides mentorship to underrepresented students pursuing health careers. 

Dr. Gomes is dedicated to increasing diversity in medicine and STEM fields.  She is actively involved in DEI initiatives in our local community focused on increasing student exposure to health and science careers at an early age.  She is committed to our university’s mission of creating a diverse and inclusive environment for our patients, faculty, trainees, and staff.

 

Diversity Initiatives at Stony Brook University

We are fortunate to be part of a large university, where diversity and inclusion are a top priority, as stated by Judith Brown Clarke, PhD, Chief Diversity Officer:  said, "Stony Brook University is fully committed to providing a just, equitable, and humane campus community through our service, activism, and pedagogy in both individual and collaborative efforts."  SUNY Stony Brook has demonstrated it's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) through:

• Appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer to oversee DEI efforts across the university. 
• Development of a formal Diversity Action Plan for our University.
• Creation of the Faculty Diversity Advisory Council, a medical school initiative for promotion of a united and diverse Stony Brook Community.  The council works closely with Faculty Diversity Ambassadors from every department in the School of Medicine  to create strategic plans for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion within their respective departments.  This program promotes collaboration between departments in regards to patients rights advocacy, inequity research, and hospital policy development.
• Active participation in the PRODIG (Promoting Recruitment Opportunity Diversity, Inclusion, and Growth) Program, a SUNY-wide initiative to promote recruitment and retention of faculty/staff from underrepresentated groups in Medicine and STEM.