Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Department of Family Medicine is committed to being a continuous learning organization that recognizes diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural competency as essential to excellence. We believe that diversity serves as a platform for a more compassionate and innovative approach to challenging health care problems, advancing impactful research, and for designing and implementing innovative teaching modalities in medical education. We expect our learners, staff, and faculty to be sensitive and respectful of the inherent dignity and worth of each individual in our community, and we pledge to continuously work towards a more just society, more equitable patient care, and a welcoming work environment for all people.

As a part of this commitment, the Department of Family Medicine has appointed a Vice Chair of Diversity and has formed a Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) committee to lead the department in these efforts, beginning with an increased focus and accountability for these efforts in our department’s education, clinical services, and research. Here are some recent efforts the JEDI committee would like to highlight:

General Departmental Efforts

Recruitment and Representation. The Department of Family Medicine is committed to providing a diverse academic community where the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and perspectives are an active part of living and learning. As such, our team is dedicated to increasing representation of underrepresented minorities in our faculty. As a part of these efforts, our Vice Chair of Diversity sits on every search committee, and we inquire about contributing to these efforts and mission in every interview with each job candidate. ECU Employee Resource Groups

Education

DEI book club. Family Medicine Faculty, Residents, and Staff are invited to participate in a regularly recurring book club centered around DEI topics. Selected books are chosen to increase awareness of diverse perspectives and to generate thought-provoking, insightful and necessary conversations about diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Academic Afternoon Lectures. Family Medicine faculty present various topics to medical residents and interdisciplinary team members to further their education and enhance their practice. The Academic Afternoon Curriculum Committee has focused on increasing topics related to providing quality, equitable healthcare to minoritized individuals. Examples include a Skin of Color Dermatology lecture series, regular Gender Affirming Care lectures, and an annual grand rounds related to DEI.

Clinical

The Department of Family Medicine’s nutrition section initiated a medical food pantry to help alleviate food insecurity and reduce barriers to affording and accessing healthy food options for our patient population, many of whom are underserved minorities with chronic illness and dietary needs.

Faculty and residents provide primary care for LGBTQ patients including hormone therapy in gender affirming care, appropriate preventative screenings, and PREP therapy.

The Family Medicine Center offers a Minority Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP). This is a year-long, group program focused on lifestyle changes to keep people with prediabetes from developing type 2 diabetes and other health problems, such as stroke and heart disease. Thanks to grant funding, we offer this program at no cost to our patients. MDPP is based on the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, but our program concentrates our resources on higher risk minority populations who experience health inequities.

Research

Grant-Funded Projects:
Carolina Consortium to Improve BP Control in Vulnerable Populations is a 5-year grant funded, multi-site randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of using home blood pressure telemonitoring and a team-based care model to enhance blood pressure control among people with uncontrolled high blood pressure especially in minority populations and those with social challenges. Drs. Patil and Messenger are the site PI/Co-Investigator and are implementing the trial at the ECU Family Medicine Center.

Prepare for Practice: Training future psychologists to address the opioid epidemic and behavioral health needs across a continuum of integrated care settings. ECU Department of Family Medicine’s Dr. Carraway, in collaboration with the Department of Psychology’s Dr. Carels, received grant funding to train future psychologists to work with rural, underserved patients in an integrated care setting. This funding facilitates doctoral level psychology learners to provide behavioral health services to Family Medicine patients as a part of our integrated care program, increasing access to behavioral health care for some of our region’s most underserved individuals.

Publications:

Shonrock, A. T., Miller, J. C., Byrd, R., Sall, K. E., Jansen, E., Carraway, M., Campbell, L., Carels, R. A. (2022). Experienced weight stigma, internalized weight bias, and maladaptive eating patterns among heterosexual and sexual minority individuals. Eating and Weight Disorders, online ahead of print, DOI: 10.1007/s40519-022-01486-4.

Carels, R. A., Miller, C., Shonrock, A., Byrd, R., Sall, K., Carraway, M. E. (2022). Weight stigma among heterosexual and sexual minority individuals: Dating and hiring preferences. Stigma and Health, 7 (4), 481–490.

Cummings DM, Adams A, Patil S, Cherrington A, Halladay JR, Oparil S, Soroka O, Ringel JB, Safford MM. Treatment Intensity, Prescribing Patterns, and Blood Pressure Control in Rural Black Patients with Uncontrolled Hypertension. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2022 Oct 21. DOI: 10.1007/s40615-022-01431-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36271193.

Cummings DM, Patil SP, Long DL, Guo B, Cherrington A, Safford MM, Judd SE, Howard VJ, Howard G, Carson AP. Does the Association Between Hemoglobin A1c and Risk of Cardiovascular Events Vary by Residential Segregation? The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study. Diabetes Care. 2021 May;44(5):1151-1158  DOI: 10.2337/dc20-1710

Luo H, Bell RA, Garg S, Cummings DM, Patil SP, Jones K. Trends and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Diabetic Retinopathy Among Adults with Diagnosed Diabetes in North Carolina, 2000-2015. N C Med J. 2019 Mar-Apr;80(2):76-82. DOI: 10.18043/ncm.80.2.76

University Support:

It is the mission of the Brody School of Medicine to enhance access for minority and disadvantages students to medical education. Brody School of Medicine. The University houses an active Office for Equity and Diversity, details at the link below:
Cultural Resources in Greenville and the Surrounding Area.