Highlights and Milestone Updates | |
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AOCI Retreat: "Connecting, Celebrating Breakthroughs & Envisioning Next Steps"
In October 2023, an Anti-Oppression Curriculum Initiative (AOCI) retreat titled, "Connecting, Celebrating Breakthroughs & Envisioning Next Steps" gathered students, staff, faculty, and a community partner representing diverse professional settings, health professions, and personal backgrounds.
The retreat provided a space to reflect on the efforts of the AOCI and to consider how to build on this work and the work of our many partners across campus to continue to drive systemic changes in medical education and beyond to center health justice and equity.
Guest speakers and attendees emphasized the need for ongoing organizational commitment and courage to authentically transform institutional culture, policies, and practices. Discussions underscored the imperative of engaging not just with students, staff, and faculty but also with those seeking care, their families, and community members and leaders, as well as with colleagues across the health professions. The retreat left many participants with renewed commitment and a shared sense of purpose to continue collaborating to drive our institution towards equity and anti-oppression.
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AOCI Student Positions and Contributions
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Members of the AOCI-Student Collaborative and faculty mentors at the December 2023 meeting | |
AOCI-Student Collaborative Updates
The AOCI Student Collaborative had an exceptional start to the academic year, welcoming 10 new student members to the group—which now includes 49 students with representatives across all medical school classes. Read more news from the AOCI-Student Collaborative.
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AOCI Yearlong Student Fellow Updates
In collaboration, Alli Gomez and Jessica Ma have been making significant strides in their roles as AOCI Student Fellows. Together, they have been the driving force behind numerous initiatives, seamlessly managing the Student Collaborative meetings and providing ongoing mentorship to students both within and outside of the Collaborative.
Learn more about the work of the AOCI Student Fellows.
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Join the Summer 2024 Curriculum Ambassador Program (CURAM)
The Curriculum Ambassador Program is a funded summer fellowship for medical students who partner with faculty mentors to enhance the School of Medicine curriculum. This summer, the program will continue to focus on projects connected to the AOCI and will include focused curricular projects, such as Curricular Revision/Design, Student Support/Paracurricular projects, and Faculty Development. In addition, students will receive foundational training in the skills of curriculum development, assessment, and educational scholarship.
Interested students should submit their CURAM applications online by the March 1, 2024 deadline.
To discuss potential CURAM projects, please reach out to Denise Connor, MD.
Additionally, if you're looking to brainstorm a curricular project, don't hesitate to reach out to Alli Gomez and Jessica Ma. Both AOCI Student Fellows have played a pivotal role in co-mentoring and discussing feasible projects for CURAM students.
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UCSF Curriculum Ambassadors Advance Equity Through Research
In summer 2023, four out of the five students chosen for the CURAM program collaborated with AOCI faculty mentors, engaging in projects aligned with the AOCI. The fifth student fellow partnered with faculty educators to work on an equity-focused project related to professionalism.
Read the article, UCSF Curriculum Ambassadors Advance Equity Through Research, to learn more about the CURAM program and the impact of each student's research. Click the research project titles to see each student's poster presentation.
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Milestones in Curricular Evolution
Health Justice Commons Led Ableism and Disability Justice Training
In December 2023, Health Justice Commons provided core educators, AOCI team members and staff, and student members of the AOCI-Student Collaborative and Disability and Ableism Task Force training on ableism and disability justice. Health Justice Commons shared insights into models of disability, the history of the disability justice movement, and inclusive practices.
Disability and Working Against Ableism Task Force Makes Progress
The Disability and Working Against Ableism Task Force continued to advance its charge, meeting with a diverse team, encompassing staff, students, faculty, and an expert community partner from Health Justice Commons to establish grounding principles that promote disability justice. Ultimately, the group will develop recommendations for classroom-based clinical cases and presentations. The Task Force’s work will establish a foundational, shared understanding for educators in the School of Medicine around disability that will continue to be deepened over time.
New Longitudinal Advisory Group for Justice and Advocacy in Medicine Launched
Building on the work of the Social, Structural, and Behavioral Course Visioning Working Group, which shared its recommendations with Medical Education Deans and other partners this fall, a new Longitudinal Advisory Group for JAM (Justice and Advocacy in Medicine—the new name for the Health and the Individual and Health and the Society Blocks) launched in January 2024. Including dedicated faculty, staff, and student representatives, this group represents a new model for providing on-going feedback and guidance to the JAM leadership team as the curriculum and assessment of JAM continue to develop.
Trauma-Informed Care and Structural Competency Working Groups Make Strides
In parallel, the Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and Structural Competency (SC) working groups are making strides, starting with a needs assessment and curricular map around these topics with the ultimate aim of advancing the integration of TIC and SC content across the Bridges Curriculum.
Our gratitude extends to the many student leaders who contribute their time and expertise to propel these initiatives forward, enriching our educational landscape with their perspectives and insights.
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Small Group Facilitator Training with Honeycomb Justice Consulting
In February, Honeycomb Justice Consulting, a Queer and Black owned consulting group, is set to begin the process of designing a novel training for small group facilitators in the school of medicine in collaboration with the AOCI.
With a collective vision of creating an equitable and just society rooted in anti-racist practices, Honeycomb Justice Consulting applies a unique restorative lens to foster healthy and thriving communities.
Their facilitators, committed to approaching trainings by understanding individual and communal strengths and needs, will collaborate with the AOCI to design and lead a pilot Train-the-Trainer Model facilitator training. The training will draw on trauma-informed/healing-centered, restorative, and other anti-racist/anti-oppressive educational frameworks and practices, and will focus on training facilitators for future iterations of JAM. Honeycomb Justice Consulting is dedicated to guiding communities in the creation and implementation of ethereal, anti-racist practices, addressing deep-seated structural, historical, communal, and emotional wounds. This partnership marks a significant stride towards learning from community-based experts and elevating our faculty’s capacity to embody anti-oppressive teaching practices, a core recommendation from many student leaders and activists at UCSF.
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Student Experience Team AO Programs
Diversity Matters Orientation (DMO)
During the fall component of JAM, DMO reunions 1 and 2 were themed, "What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Facilitated by Denise Davis, MD, the reunion included activities to build and rebuild community, an opportunity to review foundational relationship-centered communication skills, as well as to share personal narratives and reflections.
For questions, please contact Denise Davis, MD, Associate Director, AOCI, Student Support.
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Culturally Affirming Resources
Welcoming the New Year in Unity
On January 25, UIM students welcomed the new year in unity, sharing an evening filled with camaraderie, a light dinner, and music. A whimsical post-new year ball drop, albeit in the form of a beach ball, capped off the event! UIM gatherings are thoughtfully curated to offer a supportive space for all students, residents, fellows, and faculty, particularly those with identities that are under-represented in medicine, fostering a sense of affirmation and community.
Examples of under-represented groups in medicine include Black, African American, Latino/a/e/x, Native, BIPOC, LGBQIA+, Trans/Nonbinary, first generation to college, low income, disabled, as well as caregivers. There may be other identities that are under-represented that are not mentioned here. For questions and conversations about this topic, please contact Denise Davis, MD, Associate Director, AOCI, Student Support.
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Longitudinal Culturally Affirming Mentoring Groups for UIM Students
On October 25, special guests Anna Chang, MD and Chris Johnson, MD (recent UCSF alumnus) spoke about Social/Emotional and Financial Wellbeing.
One-on-one culturally affirming support, mentoring, sponsorship, and quarterly drop-in groups are available to students through the Specialist for UIM Students/Director of Student Support for AOCI. Longitudinal Culturally Affirming Mentoring Groups for UIM Students are ongoing.
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Brunch in Support of Women and Gender Expansive People of Color
On October 29, Denise Davis, MD, Associate Director, AOCI, Student Support, opened her home to 30 people for support, conversation, and community. The next event will be held in Spring 2024.
For questions, please contact Denise Davis, MD, Associate Director, AOCI, Student Support.
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Student Wellness and Mental Health
Wellness Rounds
Alice Hua, PhD Clinical Psychologist in the Medical Student Well-Being Program, is facilitating Wellness Rounds for third-year medical students at various clerkship sites. Wellness Rounds include student input on selecting a mental health topic, guided discussion on the topic, peer sharing and normalizing of experiences while on clinical rotations, and learning a psychological skill (e.g., assertive communication, emotional validation, navigating perfectionism, navigating grief, etc.).
Mental Health First Aid Workshops
In January 2024, Alice Hua, PhD facilitated, "Mental Health First Aid" workshops for Bridges Medical Student Coaches to build more strategies for supporting students experiencing anxiety.
New Mental Health Tips on Medical Student Well-Being Webpage
The Medical Student Well-Being webpage has been updated to include two new resources:
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