Weill Cornell Medicine has been awarded the Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, for the seventh consecutive year.
The HEED award recognizes institutions that show an outstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion across campus programs and constituencies. Weill Cornell Medicine will be featured in the November/December 2024 issue of the magazine.
“Diversity is not just something we do to meet a metric or pursue only when it is popular; it’s a long-term, abiding commitment to make sure that everyone's voices are heard,” said Dr. Linnie M. Golightly, associate dean of diversity and inclusion at Weill Cornell Medicine.
The institution has demonstrated an ongoing dedication to promoting diversity starting in 1969 with strategic policies and programs.
Take, for example, Weill Cornell Medicine’s Mastercard Diversity-Mentorship Collaborative. The suite of programs includes a mentoring curriculum, salary support for new faculty, competitive career development awards and research assistance for those with childcare commitments.
The Weill Cornell Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) has been instrumental in boosting the number of doctoral students in biomedical research who come from underrepresented backgrounds, as defined by the National Institutes of Health. IMSD students have been involved in numerous mentorship and outreach activities which have earned them institutional recognition. Many have also published in prestigious journals and received multiple fellowships.
"We are very proud of our students and of their contributions to the Weill Cornell community and the scientific ecosystem as a whole,” said Dr. Yazmin Carrasco, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion, who co-leads the NIH-funded IMSD program with Dr. Ethel Cesarman, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Dr. Roxana Mesías, diversity program manager.
“Programs like these help us build an inclusive environment and encourage diverse viewpoints, which leads to innovation in the science,” Dr. Carrasco said.
Another key initiative is the institution’s scholarship program, which ensures that all medical students who qualify for financial aid, including those from economically diverse backgrounds, can pursue a medical education without undue financial burden.
Perhaps the biggest diversity program at Weill Cornell Medicine is its annual Diversity Week. Now entering its seventh year, the initiative showcases the many facets of diversity through programming from each department and explores ways to address health care disparities and inequities.
“We have so many events in Diversity Week now that we can’t fit them all into a single week—so we have a prelude week and a postlude week because everyone wants time to contribute and showcase their efforts,” said Dr. Golightly, who is also an associate professor of clinical medicine and of medicine in microbiology and immunology. “It’s a time where each area of our institution shines, but diversity is celebrated all year long.”
In addition to earning awards, Weill Cornell Medicine honors champions of diversity and inclusion in its own community through its annual Celebration of Diversity event.
“Diversity is a team effort across the entire institution,” Dr. Golightly said. “We want people to take ownership and feel like they are part of this fabric. If there are any frayed threads or holes, we want to mend them together, so we can all be stronger as a community.”