The Equity-Centered Culture Change (ECC) curriculum was created and is led by a diverse, multidisciplinary, interprofessional team anchored within the WashU Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The team spent over a year developing and piloting an intensive curriculum requiring in-depth discussion and personal reflection, with tracks tailored by roles (managerial/leadership, clinical faculty & staff, clinical trainees, research and basic sciences, and non-clinical staff).
At the launch of the program in 2021, the Executive Faculty pledged time and support for department-level Equity Champions (both faculty and staff) to help tailor and teach the Equity Centered Culture Change curriculum, again embedding this work into each department to support longitudinal change.
Below are general objectives for the curriculum.
Learners will:
- Utilize a shared language for the work ofculture change , inclusion, equity, and diversity.
- Develop a greater understanding of the levels of racism within our society.
- Understand both historical and present-day structural racism specific to St. Louis and its impact on the healthcare system, medical education, research, and institutional climate/culture.
- Reflect on individual identity and our socialization processes and their impact on behavior.
- Practice strategies for reducing and managing bias in education, leadership, patient care, research and interprofessional relationships.
Common questions:
Does the Equity-Centered Culture Change replace 1.0 – 4.0 training modules?
No. The Diversity 1.0 – 4.0 sequence of courses is focused on basic presentation of core concepts related to diversity, equity and inclusion across campus. That introductory sequence (or its equivalent) is considered a prerequisite for the majority of a department or division to have completed before embarking on the Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum. The Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum is a deeper dive into the origins and lasting impacts of inequities and builds on those foundational concepts.
Can I participate in the curriculum if I am not part of the Equity Champions program?
Yes! Although the Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum is a core part of the Equity Champions program, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion welcomes all individuals with a strong interest in culture change and equity work to participate in the curriculum to become vocal upstanders for change within their work environments. Open sessions of the curriculum are offered throughout the year to people who have completed all DEI 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0. Email WUSMdiversitytraining@wustl.edu for more information.
How will campuswide implementation move forward?
The Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum will be implemented in a staged rollout over several years. The curriculum team will determine the scheduling of departments/divisions to participate in the first round of training based on key factors including:
- Readiness: Where is the department/division on their diversity, equity and inclusion journey?
- Impact: In what specialties do the most significant/persistent health disparities exist? What departments are working to address issues of retention for students, trainees, staff, and faculty?
- Access: Willingness to roll out Equity-Centered Culture Change to areas of the department, including staff, trainees, faculty, management, and research/basic sciences.
How can I ready my department or division for training?
We welcome enthusiastic department and division leadership to contact the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion staff to discuss readiness for the Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum. In addition to gauging where individual departments/divisions stand, our staff can provide recommendations and an action plan to move towards readiness for the Equity-Centered Culture Change curriculum.