July 2024

Hi Everyone!

Over the next several installments of the OBEDI Newsletter we will take a moment to introduce the members of our team, highlight their accomplishments and invite you to get to know a little bit more about them. In this edition of our newsletter we invite you to meet Joseph Diaz, MD, MPH. Dr. Diaz is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Patricia Poitevien, MD, MSc, FAAP

Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Meet Dr. Joseph Diaz

Joseph Diaz MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Sciences at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University where he is an Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. Dr. Diaz graduated from medical school at Brown and completed a residency and fellowship in General Internal Medicine.  Since 2001, Dr. Diaz has worked as a primary care physician in Pawtucket, RI, and previously served as the Chief of Medicine at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island.  He now serves as the Chief Health Equity Officer for Care New England and as a Medical Director for the Integra Accountable Care Organization.

Among numerous honors, Dr. Diaz has received the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the Chair’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Department of Medicine, and the Medical Educator of the Year Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine NE Region.  Dr. Diaz is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and health equity.  He co-directs the medical school's Scholarly Concentration in Care for Underserved Communities and is a long-term volunteer and faculty preceptor at Clinica Esperanza / Hope Clinic.

Dr. Diaz oversees the Center for Community Engagement and Pathways Programs, where he collaborates closely with Luckson Omoaregba, Director of Pathways Programs, Ruthie Salguero, Pathways Program Coordinator, and the rest of the OBEDI team. Together, they develop and manage programs that support students from diverse backgrounds across the country, with a particular focus on Rhode Island residents.

Brother-2-Brother

On May 3rd, 2024, the Brother-2-Brother cohort went bowling. The bowling event aimed to foster relationships and cultivate a strong sense of community among students of color at the medical school.

As the new academic year starts we invite new members to join Brother-2-Brother. If you have any questions please email Francisco_Hernandez1@Brown.edu.

LMSA and SNMA

April 13th and 14th 2024, On the Horizon -The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) and The Student National Medical Associated (SNMA) co-hosted a weekend event for pre-medical students to attend a series of panels, workshops, and information sessions that focus on various aspects of applying to medical school. The focus was to establish connections that can further increase the representation of individuals underrepresented in medicine. 

If you would like to join LMSA or SNMA email us at: LMSA@brown.edu or SNMA@brown.edu

MSPA

Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA), formerly known as Spectrum, became an official chapter of the national organization. The Medical Student Pride Alliance is a "not-for-profit organization committed to supporting the success of current and future LGBTQ+ medical student throughout their education and careers by fostering community and connecting members."

Source: medpride.org

If you would like to join Brown MSPA email us at: SPECTRUM@Brown.edu

Transition to Residency

April 11th, 2024, The Office of Advancement and OBEDI held a Transition to Residency Panel for graduating 4th-year medical students. The panel discussion was moderated by the 2023-2024 OBEDI LEAD Fellow Idowu "Idee" Olugbade MD’25 with distinguished alumni Vivian A. S. Asare, MD‘06, Derrick R. Hamilton, MD’01, Sriya S. Muralidharan ‘15 MD’19, Nicole A. Negbenebor MD’18 RES’23 and Roger J. Waltzman ‘88 MD’92. The students connected with the alumni and gained useful information and advice about the transition into residency.

Brown JEDI FA

The Brown Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Faculty Association (JEDI FA) volunteered at Bami Farm on April 20th, 2024 as part of a "Let's get outside" series.  Bami Farm is a 6-acre community farm in Johnston, RI run by the African Alliance of Rhode Island. Local farmers grow a wide variety of produce to sell at market and take home to their communities. The Center for Workforce Recruitment and Retention launched the series to encourage members of the JEDI FA to get outside of the day to day and continue to expand and explore places where those who have had a history of marginalization have not always been given access or told they do not belong. Whether that is access to an executive coach, our own happiness/joy, sailing on the Narragansett bay or volunteering at a black own local farm; The OBEDI JEDI FA intends to do it. If you are interested in joining the Brown JEDI FA  Listserv please contact: Courtney_Donovan@Brown.edu

MEDSTEP

On April 18th, 2024, The Office of Belonging, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (OBEDI) hosted a MEDSTEP (Mentoring and Educating Diverse Students to Excel as Physicians) Empowerment Lunch. Over an intimate lunch, Dr. Esther Henenbeng, MD'22 and PGY-2 Dermatology Resident at Brown, delivered an inspiring presentation on the topic of overcoming failure. This presentation helped our students understand the importance of resilience and learning to navigate challenges in a professional environment, enabling them to continue pursuing careers in healthcare despite encountering obstacles.

The BASCE Translating Research into Better Lives and Better Futures event took place on May 2, 2024. Brown Advocates for Social Change and Equity (BASCE) develops healthcare leaders who have a passion for engaging their peers in dialogue around issues of racism, cultural diversity, inclusion, social justice, and health equity. BASCE scholars presented their final projects on topics ranging from health disparities in cancer research, to bias in electroconvulsive therapy, to attitudes of undocumented immigrants when accessing care in the emergency room. Under the expert guidance of Anne Vera Cruz, PhD, Assistant Dean for Curriculum in Inclusive Teaching and Learning, BASCE is shaping leaders equipped with the tools to drive meaningful impact. 

From Left to Right: Anne Vera Cruz, PhD, Assistant Dean for Curriculum in Inclusive Teaching and Learning; Brown Advocates for Social Change and Equity (BASCE); Joshua Goldenberg MD’24; Jinen Thakkar, MD; Idowu Olugbade MD’25, and Patricia Poitevien, MD, MSc, FAAP, Senior Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

If you have any questions please contact us at: BASCE@Brown.edu.

Month of Medicine Program - Twelve students from the University of Rhode Island, Providence College, and Rhode Island College participated in the Month of Medicine program from June 3-28, 2024. The month-long program provided the students a snapshot of what it means to be a first-year medical student. Participants are exposed to a rigorous curriculum co-created by Associate Dean, Joseph Diaz and Pathways Program Director, Luckson Omoaregba and taught by our very own medical students. Karla Monge MD'27 and Nicole Hinz MD'27 were coordinators and instructors for the program and Jorge Sulca Flores MD'27, Ali Mansour MD '27 and Fatine Oliveira MD'26 served as panelists for one of the professional development sessions. This is part of the Rhode to Medicine Pathway Program for undergraduate students interested in a career in medicine. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Luckson_Omoaregba@brown.edu

The Division of BioMed at Brown is hosting six (6) Leadership Alliance students this summer. The Leadership Alliance program is a national consortium of major U.S. higher education institutions, and private industry focused on  developing underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models in academia, the public, and the private sector. The program provides rising Junior & Senior undergraduate students with a nine week internship with an MD/PhD Faculty Mentor at a Leadership Alliance site.   At Brown, participants are given opportunities to participate in clinical shadowing, didactic sessions at the medical school, participate in research and present at the Annual Leadership Alliance National Symposium.

On May 31, 2024 the Central Falls High School Biomedical Academy visited The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University to learn about different careers in healthcare. A total of 21 students from the 10th grade heard from the University of Rhode Island's College of Pharmacy and Rhode Island College's Rhode Island Nursing Education Center. 

On May 20, 2024 accepted medical students from our Tougaloo Early-Identification Program (EIP) met with Joseph Diaz, MD, MPH Associate Dean for Diversity and Multicultural Affairs for dinner to discuss their transition to Brown and the Brown/Tougaloo EIP. Tougaloo College, a historically black college (HBC) in Jackson, Mississippi is among the top US schools for the number of graduates with doctoral degrees in STEM fields, and its alums form 40 percent of Mississippi's African American physicians and dentists. The EIP identifies Tougaloo undergrads for early acceptance to Brown's MD program and is part of the Brown-Tougaloo Partnership.

Center for Student Belong - Affinity Groups and Contact Information

American Muslim Medical Student Association (AMMSA)    AMMSA@brown.edu

Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association (APAMSA) APAMSA@Brown.edu

Brother-2-Brother (B-2-B)                            Francisco_Hernandez1@Brown.edu

FirstGenMed@Brown                                                                                FIRST-GEN-MED@Brown.edu

Jewish Medical Student Association (JeMSA)                                JEMSA@Brown.edu

The Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)                                LMSA@Brown.edu

Medical Student Pride Alliance (MSPA)                              SPECTRUM@Brown.edu

National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA)            NAAMA@Brown.edu

Student National Medical Association (SNMA)                      SNMA@Brown.edu

To join an OBEDI-sponsored Affinity Group please contact us!

Upcoming Events

Brown University is located in Providence, Rhode Island, on lands that are within the ancestral homelands of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. We acknowledge that beginning with colonization and continuing for centuries the Narragansett Indian Tribe have been dispossessed of most of their ancestral lands in Rhode Island by the actions of individuals and institutions. We acknowledge our responsibility to understand and respond to those actions. The Narragansett Indian Tribe, whose ancestors stewarded these lands with great care, continues as a sovereign nation today. We commit to working together to honor our past and build our future with truth.

Contact Us - T: (401) 863-9855  |  E: OBEDI@Brown.edu  |  W: diversity.biomed.brown.edu