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When it officially launches next month, the new WMed Ally Training Program will – in no small part – serve as a catalyst for culture change at the medical school and embed the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice into the fabric of the institution.

“This is an action-oriented step,” said Cheryl Dickson, ���ϲʿ���ֱ��, MPH, associate dean for Health Equity and Community Affairs. “It will move WMed to a place where DEI and social justice are things that we actively pursue together and not just things that we think about doing separately.”

The work for DEI and social justice is central to the mission, values, future vision, and strategic planning for WMed and the establishment of the new Ally Training Program is a major part of strategic development around DEI.��

The program, which is being led by Dr. Dickson and Karen Horneffer-Ginter, PhD, associate dean for Culture and Wellness, ​involves participation by at least one person from every department and administrative unit at the medical school, in a foundational series of workshop presentations on topics including implicit bias, systemic racism, mental health inequities, LGBTQ+ inequities, gender bias, and ableism. The presentations, which will take place between March and November, are being done in partnership with organizations such as ERACCE, Michigan Disabilities Resource Center, OutFront Kalamazoo, Integrated Mental Health Services/NAMI, and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

“I feel like this is something that’s so important because we are covering topics that so many of us don’t have to regularly think about or talk about,” Dr. Horneffer-Ginter said. “I feel like this will start to normalize and encourage the cultural learning and humility that’s so important for us right now.”

​The foundational trainings include opportunities for continued dialogue in small group discussions – known as “change chats” – and ​the Courageous Conversations series presented by the Office of Health Equity and Community Affairs.

​The ultimate goal is to foster and grow a culture of inclusion and belonging for everyone at WMed. Faculty and staff who take part in the Ally Training Program will serve as representatives for their department or administrative unit for DEI strategic initiatives and as DEI Champions for WMed’s vision and goals around DEI. So far, more than 80 people from throughout WMed have signed up to take part in the training program and that number is expected to grow as there is space for up to three people from each WMed department or administrative unit. Sessions are open to all faculty, staff, residents, and students at WMed.

For Drs. Dickson and Horneffer-Ginter, the new Ally Training Program is the tangible result of their work together that began in 2018 to put in place DEI champions and allyship training at WMed. Dr. Dickson said that work became ever more important in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted longstanding health inequities in the U.S. and the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor cast a spotlight on the need for social justice reform.

The launch of the new Ally Training Program comes at a time when WMed leaders are working to finalize the vision, mission, and key elements of a new strategic plan focused on health equity in medical education. The formation of the new strategic plan is being accomplished through a comprehensive planning process – the Empowering Our Future planning initiative – that WMed Dean Paula M. Termuhlen, ���ϲʿ���ֱ��, kicked off in September 2021 to define the medical school's future identity and strategic direction for the next decade.��The planning process came on the heels of a $300 million philanthropic commitment WMed received in June 2021 to fund initiatives to support student success, diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical education, expand access and opportunity through scholarships, and foster innovation, collaboration, and discovery.

“We’ve evolved as an institution and we’re ready to see the impact the Ally Training Program will have at WMed,” Dr. Dickson said. “The Empowering Futures Gift and the partnership with Dr. Termuhlen is helping us champion that and we are going to do some great things.”

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