Diversity at Highland
At Highland Hospital, we believe that diversity is one of the greatest strengths of our program and our community. The East Bay, which encompasses Oakland and the surrounding area, is one of the most ethnically and linguistically varied metropolitan areas in the nation. Our region is home to LGBTQI communities in which residents, staff and faculty of all gender identities and sexual orientations can thrive. We are a family-friendly program, and residents find a supportive environment for having and raising families. Our Emergency Medicine residency champions diversity, recruiting physicians with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences so as to better serve the needs of our vibrant East Bay community. Weekly conferences feature talks on social determinants of health, gender-inclusive practices in the ED, race and policing, among other topics.
We are deeply invested in finding the best residents who have a mission to serve our unique population. We offer an annual scholarship for an underrepresented in medicine (UIM) rotator to offset the costs of traveling to Oakland (the Highland Visiting Elective Scholarship ).This year, the award is taking the form of an educational fund. We host an annual dinner for applicants who self-identify as UIM to mingle with faculty and residents over food and drinks. We also hosted a dedicated three-day virtual experience for UIM applicants.
Most importantly, we pride ourselves on a holistic application review at each step in our process, acknowledging the unique and valuable perspectives that UIM applicants bring and the unique challenges they overcome in medicine. Attendings and residents published an article in Annals of Emergency Medicine highlighting Highland’s efforts: The Diversity Snowball Effect: The Quest to Increase Diversity in Emergency Medicine: A Case Study of Highland's Emergency Medicine Residency Program.
We also foster and maintain community partnerships and pipeline programs to increase the number of UIM students in medicine, including MiMS and the Social EM Research Diversity Externship.
The Diversity Committee at Highland is a resident-run group that is committed to recruiting, retaining, and supporting residents from diverse ethnic, gender, sexual orientation and racial backgrounds. Our efforts center around diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels of medicine, including residency (and faculty) recruitment of UIMs, curriculum/research development as well as opportunities for mentorship and pipeline programs. The committee welcomes all residents and faculty who are interested in advocating for these values.
Our alumni have gone on to be leaders in Emergency Medicine, including Dr Starr Knight and Dr Kayla Enriquez at UCSF, Dr Kara Toles at UC Davis, and Dr Tiffany Anaebere at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Anaebere recently authored the article “Policing Can Take a Lesson from Health Care” published in 2020 in Scientific American.
