Harbor-UCLA Pediatric Diversity Events

Patricia Poitevien MD, MSc, FAAP is the Residency Program Director for the Department of Pediatrics and an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. She also serves as an Assistant Dean for the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. Dr. Poitevien’ s research focuses on inclusion and mentorship of underrepresented learners in academic medicine and the impact of racism on medical education. She was a founding member of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) Learning Community on Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine a (UIM) and is currently the President-Elect of the APPD. She has lectured nationally on disparities in medical education and in healthcare and has led numerous workshops on building diverse and inclusive environments within academic medicine. She has published on utilizing simulation in faculty development to address issues of bias in the clinical learning environment. Her interests include recruitment and mentorship of UIM, leadership challenges for women in academic medicine, the impact of implicit and explicit bias on graduate medical education and wellness and resilience for trainees and faculty.

“An ally takes the time to read, listen, watch, and deepen understanding first.” Harvard Business Review

Few physicians would deny that compassion and justice are core values in medicine, though well-documented disparities in health care and medical education continue to plague us. Implicit bias, defined by the NIH as a form of bias that occurs automatically and unintentionally, that nevertheless affects judgments, decisions, and behaviors, affects patient care, and negatively affects the learning climate in healthcare. This highly interactive faculty development workshop is designed to help participants develop allyship skills in relationships with patients, families, learners, and colleagues.

Rhonda Graves Acholonu, MD, is the Vice Chair for Education, Co-Director for Leadership, Engagement and Diversity Program and as an Attending Physician in the Division of Hospital Medicine at Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM). Dr. Acholonu is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her areas of interest include maximizing opportunities for education across the continuum by utilizing innovative instructional methods and theories as well as incorporating diversity and inclusion initiatives into educational curricula. Dr. Acholonu has been recognized broadly for her work and received numerous awards, including the MSI AHEC Champions of Diversity Health Professions Educator Award in 2016 and the Award for Exemplary Achievement in Medical Education, also in 2016.

Denise L. Davis is a general internist, Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco and she serves as Associate Director for Faculty Development for the San Francisco VA Center of Excellence in Primary Care Education. Dr. Davis teaches faculty development workshops locally and nationally on communication skills, including ground breaking workshops for the American Academy on Communication in Healthcare on opening discussions about race in clinical settings and facilitating small groups with cultural humility. Dr. Davis is a past recipient of the prestigious Kaiser Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching for her work with students at UCSF School of Medicine and was recognized by the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators as an outstanding teacher in 2013. Dr. Davis was also elected to the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators in 2015.