Our Initiatives

Create performance standards & metrics for teaching and compensation strategies that incentivize education.

In progress:

• ASPIRES
  • Recruitment at SNMA/LMSA meetings
  • Faculty to mentor URiM students
  • Goal to grow to 3^rd and 4^th-year medical students
  • Enhance research and outreach opportunities to 3^rd-year medical students
  • Expand sub-internships for 4^th-year medical students
• Med Students
  • Program for Surgical Oncology fellow
    • The cost for sub-internships will be covered
  • Expand to other divisions
• Collaboration with Outreach Focus Area
  • Stop the Bleed (ACS):
    • Teach the program at local schools
    • Medical students will act as presenters

Coming Soon:

• Re-evaluation of teaching metrics for faculty & residents
• Re-evaluation of resident review process for objective milestones
• Strategies for compensation of teaching work done vs. implied

In progress:

• Team to mediate discussions for repairing relationships: Alternative to SRS process
• Caring Project: Consult operating room staff after complications or significant life issues
• Peer groups for early to mid-career women: 
  • Listen about issues Duke Surgery women face at work and brainstorm possible solutions
• Stability Champions: Available for support on a daily basis across Duke Surgery when people need assistance
• Movement Project: Operation Room based, interventions when musculoskeletal issues arise for trainees, attendings, and staff 
  • Separate from ergonomic consults
• Preliminary resident support group: A new formalized support system for preliminary surgical residents

Coming Soon:

• Peer to Peer Discussions
• Online Learning Module
• “Civility champions” vs. another form of bystander training
• Patient bias protocol/ behavioral contract
• Ongoing culture assessment surveys

Leadership training & mentorship skills development.

In progress:

• Plastic surgery “soft skills” curriculum
• Continuing annual commitment to and foster leadership in affinity groups and national organizations, supporting resident and faculty development
  • Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS)
  • Association of Out Surgeons and Allies (AOSA)
  • Latino Surgical Society (LSS)
  • Association of Women Surgeons (AWS)
  • Association for Academic Surgery (AAS)
  • Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (SAAS)

Coming Soon:

• Mentorship skills development for faculty, Launch/Boost team members

Community outreach & compensation strategies, engagement with national organizations.

In progress:

• Continue and expand commitment to medical student/pre-med student/resident recruitment with national organizations:
  • Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
  • Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)
• ASSET program: Annual participation with the Durham Nativity School
• Continued partnership with Jack & Jill Society of Durham

Coming Soon:

• Strategies for RVU compensation for outreach activities

Rethink how we help our residents and faculty succeed, including formalizing mentorship teams, defining diverse tracks for engagement and promotion.

In progress:

• Establish teams to provide mentoring and support for members of affinity groups
• Pilot program for administrative support/staff assistant professional development 

Coming Soon:

• Define tracks for diverse interests including DEI involvement, community engagement
• Launch teams, Boost teams for ongoing professional development
• Exit interviews with anticipated & departing faculty at pre-determined intervals

Development and enforcement of standardized and equitable recruitment processes for residents, faculty, and staff.

In progress:

• Best Practices
  • Develop Value Proposition for new faculty coming to Duke Surgery
  • Report Diversity information across Duke Surgery including data from each division
    • Report biannually at division/leadership meetings
    • Engaging with basic science and research in recruitment activity
    • Staff diversity emphasis
    • Apply principles across all new department hires, including faculty, trainees, and staff
    • Data breakout by surgical specialty compared to peer institutions
  • Build experiences favorable to recruiting—access affinity groups (local & national)
  • Long-term recruitment forecast—look 3-5 years in advance for needs
  • Partner with Communications—gear messages to fit recruitment goals, such as targeting people at end of residency/mid-fellowship period
  • Division chiefs establish a strategic recruitment plan for 3-5 years out, looking at future goals vs. short-term needs
• Implicit Bias training for all interviewers
  • Currently used at leadership level recruitment, but needs to spread to all departmental recruitment activities—faculty/residents/staff
• Working groups interview candidates, in which personnel who will work day-to-day with candidates more involved in the hiring and interview process

Consolidation & expansion of resources for junior faculty research development, specific support for research impacting health disparities and work with direct policy translation.

In progress:

• Evaluating process for recruiting participants in research trials, looking at demographics & diversity of participants
• Division of Surgical Oncology focused on recruitment of diverse participant population for trials
• Identify Patient Advocate to join Focus Area meetings to provide new perspective
• SCORES rebranding: IDEA Scholar (Inclusion Diversity Equity Access)