Department of Dermatology

Student roomer project: high school and college students hired to help department with greeting and rooming patients, providing individuals the opportunity to be exposed to dermatology clinic and the medical field at an early age 

Ongoing, one student roomer elected to deepen their exposure to health care by applying for and being hired as a medical scribe for department. Of those who disclosed their ethnicity, 20% were from underrepresented minority backgrounds. 

Person/Dept Responsible: Dr. Nancy Thomas; Emma Beckham; Bethany Everest

Interviewees comprised of at least 25% qualified URM candidates for our residency training program

Completed, during 2020 Interview Season 30% of candidates interviewed for 2020 Dermatology Residency application interview cycle were qualified URM candidates 

Ongoing, 2021 Interview Season  

Person/Dept Responsible: Dean Morrell, MD; Carolyn Ziemer, MD

Increase diversity of nursing management and physicians.

Ongoing, Staff member signed up to participate in “Opening Doors: A Personal and Professional Journey” In 2021  

Person/Dept Responsible: Medical Advisory Committee

Medical Scribes: college students and college graduates interested in pursuing a career in healthcare hired to help department with medical documentation during patient visits, providing individuals the opportunity to be exposed to dermatology clinic and the medical field at an early age

Ongoing 

Person/Dept Responsible: Sarah Shipp

Increase diversity of medical student research fellows 

Ongoing, Dr. Sayed has received an Abbvie Education grant for his hidradenitis suppurativa medical student research fellowship year to provide financial support and allow fellows of more diverse socioeconomic backgrounds access to the fellowship  

Person/Dept Responsible: Chris Sayed, MD

Career development of young faculty by providing networking opportunities 

Ongoing, junior faculty added to national database for potential invited speaking opportunities

Ongoing, junior faculty will be hosting virtual lecturers for invited speaker series during UNC dermatology didactics

Person/Dept Responsible:

Increase diversity of staff

Ongoing, department is participating in a pilot program for UNC which allows for medical assistant (MA) trainees to undergo MA training while receiving paid employment by the department

Person/Dept Responsible: Bethany Everest

Continue to enhance teambuilding/group cohesion between staff members 

Ongoing, meet and greet events planned for new staff and MA trainees to interact with department  

Person/Dept Responsible: Dr. Nancy Thomas

Participation in DEI panels

Completed, Dr. Lugo-Somolinos participated in a panel of Hispanic/Latinx Healthcare Professionals with the UNC School of Medicine  

Person/Dept Responsible: Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD

Reducing microaggressions in the workplace

Completed, badges identifying clinical role provided to faculty and staff 

Ongoing, 360-degree reviews implemented between nursing staff and faculty 

Ongoing, leadership seminars implemented to facilitate teamwork and positive interactions amongst departmental members including use of 5 dynamics session 

Person/Dept Responsible: Priyanka Vedak; MD Sarah Shipp; Amy Blake, MD

Departmental diversity small group meeting

Ongoing

Person/Dept Responsible: Priyanka Vedak, MD

Support ongoing learning, send out regular emails to residents and faculty (utilizing the above resource) highlighting the comparison between the presentations of various cutaneous disease processes in lighter and darker skin tones.

Create an educational module/didactic session dedicated to dermatologic disease in skin of color and racial health disparities for inclusion in academics on at least a yearly basis.

Create an educational module/didactic session on the history of medical (and dermatologic) exploitation of communities of color, including the Tuskegee Study and the Holmesburg prison studies, on at least a yearly basis.

Create an educational module/didactic session on different hair care practices and products for various hair types.

Guest lecturers on diversity, health equity, LGBTQ+ 

Ongoing, weekly emails of kodachromes to faculty and residents highlighting comparisons of various cutaneous disease processes in lighter and darker skin tones have begun starting Summer 2021 

Ongoing, resident didactic DEI lectures on these topics have been scheduled into 2021-2022 academic calendar 

Person/Dept Responsible: Priyanka Vedak, MD; Amy Blake, MD; Lauren Crouse, MD; Julie Mervak, MD

Improve patient care experience for non-English speaking patients and patients from diverse backgrounds 

Completed, have updated after visit summary information for non-english speaking patients

Completed, have updated sunscreen after visit summary handout to include recommendations for patients of all skin tones 

Ongoing, have implemented video interpreter services rather than phone only at main clinical site in Chapel Hill, pending for satellite clinics 

Person/Dept Responsible: Amy Blake, MD; Sarah Shipp

Continue efforts to increase skin of color images for conditions taught in the medical student dermatology curriculum to allow for comparison of presentation of the same disease in different people. 

Continue efforts to include photos of a wide range of skin types in the lectures/small groups of the overall Foundation Phase (M1/M2 curriculum) when dermatologic conditions are discussed in all blocks 

Completed, Image database built of dermatologic diagnoses in a range of skin types for the first- and second-year medical student curriculum. 

Person/Dept Responsible: Chris Sayed, MD; Julie Mervak, MD

Increase education of faculty and residents on diversity and allow opportunities for networking and inter-departmental collaboration

Ongoing, monthly DEI Focus newsletter being sent out to department containing DEI highlights from medical literature, lectures, conferences, and everyday resources 

Completed, Department paid registration fee for resident and faculty to attend Skin of Color Update September 12-13, 2020 and 2021  

Ongoing, see resident didactic DEI curriculum above 

Person/Dept Responsible: Dr. Nancy Thomas; Dr. Amy Blake; Dr. Lauren Crouse

Examine role of implicit bias in surveys of clinicians

Ongoing

Person/Dept Responsible: Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD; Priyanka Vedak, MD

Increase collaborative efforts across departments to improve care for disease processes, including those that can disproportionally affect under-represented populations.

Completed, worked with UNC Center for Health Innovation to conduct a current state assessment exercise regarding current and potential future wellness offerings with a focus on diversity in the realms of skincare, haircare, and concepts of beauty.

Person/Dept Responsible: Priyanka Vedak, MD

Invite guest lecturers from other departments within UNC and other universities to lecture on their expertise in topics related to diversity and health equity 

Ongoing, lectures scheduled for resident didactic curriculum 2021-2022 

Person/Dept Responsible: Priyanka Vedak, MD; Amy Blake, MD; Lauren Crouse, MD

Support groups for diseases that disproportionally affect underserved populations

Ongoing, virtual meetings with guest lectures by attending physicians at UNC 

Ongoing, Drs. Culton and Holahan are mentoring two students doing an Albert Schweitzer Community Service Fellowship focused on supporting patients with pemphigus and pemphigoid. Patients will be supplied with resources such as education pamphlets/webinars, peer support groups, and appointment and medication reminders. Outcomes will be measured based on improved patient understanding and compliance. 

Person/Dept Responsible: Chris Sayed, MD; Heather Holahan, MD; Priyanka Vedak, MD; Donna Culton, MD

Increase dermatologic access for incarcerated individuals.

Ongoing, department of corrections clinic.

Person/Dept Responsible: Carolyn Ziemer, MD

Increase dermatologic access for uninsured Spanish speaking patients.

Ongoing, Piedmont  Clinic.

Person/Dept Responsible: Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD

Increase research efforts for diseases that disproportionately affect underserved populations.

Ongoing, clinical trials focused on hidradenitis.

Person/Dept Responsible: Chris Sayed, MD

Increase tele dermatology access for dermatology to help our patients, many of which are rural, seek care.

Ongoing, ~3,900 telehealth visits offered from March to December 2020, ~17% of which were performed with patients in rural locations, and ~17% of which involved patients from underrepresented backgrounds.

Person/Dept Responsible: Amy Fox, MD; Michelle Pearlstein, MD

Increase research efforts for diseases including those which disproportionately affect underserved populations and continue recruiting a diverse patient population for these trials 

Ongoing, clinical trials have capacity to recruit Spanish-speaking patients 

Ongoing, Dr. Culton is the dermatology advisor on a funded grant through the American Colleg of Rheumatology looking into recruitment of minorities in trials on lupus vulgaris. 

Ongoing, Dr. Culton is conducting a project on socioeconomic determinants of health in patients with pemphigus vulgaris 

Person/Dept Responsible: Donna Culton, MD; Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD; Chris Sayed, MD

Increase diversity in patient recruitment for clinical trials and in clinical trial research 

Ongoing, clinical trials have capacity to recruit Spanish-speaking patients due to bilingual staff and primary investigators (75% of dermatology clinical trials unit is bilingual) 

Person/Dept Responsible: Donna Culton, MD; Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD

Increase collaborative efforts across departments to improve care for disease processes, including those that can disproportionally affect under-represented populations with the use of multidisciplinary clinics.

Ongoing, inter disciplinary clinics held virtually between departments discussing cutaneous lymphoma, complex oral diseases, melanoma cases. 

Ongoing, new interdisciplinary clinics between dermatology and rheumatology, and dermatology and nephrology began Spring 2021.

Person/Dept Responsible: Donna Culton, MD; Galen Foulke, MD; Julie Mervak, MD; Heather Holahan, MD; Edith Bowers, MD; Paul Googe, MD

Increase collaborative efforts across departments to improve care for disease processes, including those that can disproportionally affect under-represented populations with interdepartmental lectures 

Completed, lecture on:

• Pain management in Hidradenitis Suppurative for Department of Pain Medicine 
• Surgical interventions for Hidradenitis Suppurativa for Department of Plastic Surgery 
• Contact dermatitis cases for Puerto Rico Dermatology Department

Person/Dept Responsible: Heather Holahan, MD; Chris Sayed, MD; Aida Lugo-Somolinos, MD

Increase community clinician education of diseases that disproportionately affect underserved populations 

Ongoing, planning a breakout session focusing on Hidradenitis Suppurativa treatment at the North Carolina Dermatology Association Winter Meeting 

Completed, invited talk on hidradenitis suppurativa by Dr. Sayed at Skin of Color Conference September 2021

Ongoing, Dr. Sayed serves on board of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation 

Ongoing, Dr. Sayed will be speaking about hidradenitis suppurativa at 2021 Southeastern Consortium (SEC) for Dermatology meeting during the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion session 

Ongoing, Drs. Sayed is organizing a training for Novartis Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) on Hidradenitis Suppurativa. Drs. Vedak and Holahan will also be assisting in the training. 

Person/Dept Responsible: Chris Sayed, MD; Heather Holahan, MD; Priyanka Vedak, MD