Spring 2024
Diversity, equity and inclusion are among the central values of this department. I am thrilled to be stepping in to continue to build upon the tremendous progress of the last few years. Our goals seamlessly align with Penn Medicine’s Action for Cultural Transformation, which has six strategic pillars: clinical care, research, education, community, culture, and people. Our department’s accomplishments in these areas from 2020 to 2024 include:
- Ensuring availability of language-appropriate anesthesia services for patients with limited English proficiency
- Building equity-focused patient outcomes databases to ensure equitable outcomes for patients regardless of age, gender identity, race, ethnicity, or primary language spoken
- Adding resident lectures on inclusion, diversity, and equity; care for transgender and non-binary patients; and care for patients with limited English proficiency
- Appointing a Director of Departmental Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism efforts to work in partnership with the Vice Chair
- Appointing a Chief Resident of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism
- Restructuring faculty recruitment efforts to ensure a level playing field and to decrease barriers for prospective applicants
- Increasing transparency in department leadership opportunities
- Supporting our department’s Women in Anesthesia group
- Establishing a funded medical student rotation for people underrepresented in medicine (according to the National Institutes of Health)
- Sponsoring and mentoring student researchers in multiple pipeline building programs
I am proud to be a part of such a passionate team that is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and diverse workplace, and to providing the highest quality, compassionate and equitable care for all the patients that we serve.
Warmly,
Allison Lee, MD, MS
Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Critical Care
Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion