Hiring challenges are not new to hospitals and HR departments, but they have compounded in recent years due to the pandemic and the growth of our system. The Talent Acquisition team is using these challenges as an opportunity to reassess and refine our hiring practices to align with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts. Lisa Dyson and James Sugiyama share how they’re partnering with others to drive access and equity in hiring.

Well-being specialist Trinh Mai started BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of color) Check-in & Support via Zoom as a place to grieve and honor George Floyd and process ongoing racism. This is a space for employees at the U who self-identify as BIPOC to experience community, share struggles and solutions, and celebrate being who they are. Trinh and some members of the check in group share how the group started, how it has evolved and its lasting impacts.

With the month of Ramadan quickly approaching for our Muslim patients, many will want to keep up with their dental routines, so that fasting doesn’t have a negative impact on their oral health. University of Utah School of Dentistry's Arman Farhadtouski and Marcy Rogers empower their fellow providers with tips for Ramadan-friendly dental care.

Whether it was growing up in segregated Georgia, working with leaders across the country during the civil rights movement, leading a congregation at Calvary Baptist Church, or teaching an ethnic studies class at the U, Reverend France A. Davis has lived the theme of “Choosing Love Over Hate.” With the U of U Marriott Library, he shares his experiences and discusses “choosing love” in navigating today’s challenges.

Rising racist aggressions against the backdrop of an anxious and unnerving year can exacerbate the trauma racial groups and minorities experience. Megan Call of the Resiliency Center, social worker Jean Whitlock and EDI expert Mauricio Laguan explain racial trauma and how kindness, to ourselves and each other, is what this moment demands.

Everybody deserves the dignity of being called by their chosen name and having their correct pronouns used. Organizational Development’s Sheila Sconiers and Clare Lemke, along with the Transgender Health Program’s Jessica Stahle, share the importance of pronouns, how to use them in patient care, and what to do if you make a mistake.

When patients or family members use discriminatory language, it can be hard to know the next steps. Nursing Director Gigi Austria and EDI Consultant Sheila Sconiers offer practical steps to address discrimination at the bedside.

In honor of MLK Week, join the University of Utah community as they host a series of events exploring the reverend’s complex ideas on the meaning of love, and together we’ll examine the strength needed to choose it when faced with hatred and division.

Racism isn’t something that happens “somewhere else.” Mindfulness educators and social workers Trinh Mai and Jean Whitlock facilitated an interracial dialogue on talking about race and racism to learn from local lived experiences. Here they share a scenario reflecting common dynamics and give recommendations for a compassionate and constructive response.

The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian provides a wealth of perspectives often absent in American history textbooks and mainstream culture. Here are five curated favorites from the comprehensive collection filled with artwork and stories worth sharing.

Director of community engagement, RyLee Curtis, shares how we’re partnering with communities to build a new learning and health campus, and what we can apply now, even before construction starts

The crises of Covid-19 and police brutality have highlighted systemic racial inequity in the United States and the need to consciously dismantle the forces that cause racial health disparities. PA students Scarlett Reyes and Jocelyn Cortez brought together Black patients at the University of Utah to share their experiences. Their advice: build cultural competence and be mindful of microaggressions.