We’re highlighting the incredible work of the faculty and staff members on the DOM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Council.
Read an interview below featuring Nancy DeSousa, assistant director in the School of Medicine’s (SOM) Office of Multicultural Affairs. DeSousa shares why she decided to take an active role in DEI initiatives and her biggest inspirations.
Can you share how your career path led to your current role in the School of Medicine?
I have a somewhat unconventional path to my current role in the School of Medicine as assistant director, Office of Multicultural Affairs, Learner Diversity Programs, since most of my career has been in Public Health research. That said, I have always been involved in DEI initiatives as a student — from being a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) and MPC Coordinator in college, to chairing the Minority Health Conference during my MPH program at UNC-Chapel Hill, to serving on diversity committees and in leadership roles in various affinity groups at every level of my educational journey. I was pre-med during college, but also had the opportunity to major in Ethnic Studies — the study of race, ethnicity, and social justice — and upon graduation, I was unsure if I wanted to pursue med school or an academic career in Ethnic Studies. I then discovered public health through my first job in HIV prevention. Behavioral science and health education combined my passion for health care with my knowledge of race, sociology, and psychology to address issues of health inequity, stigma, and social determinants of health such as racism, classism, homophobia, and sexism.
During my doctoral program at Emory, I discovered another passion for educational administration through both my teaching and mentoring of students, and my work in the career and professional development programming for Laney Graduate School. Thus, although it seems like an unconventional path, my current role supporting and creating DEI programming for residents and fellows — and working on pipeline initiatives for medical students which includes aspects of mentorship, teaching, program management, and creating content about health disparities — really is the perfect fit for me!
Why did you decide to take an active role in the department’s diversity initiatives?
Because the DOM houses the largest residency program, I wanted to learn from the amazing work of Jada Bussey-Jones, MD and Kimberly Manning, MD, whose work and reputation I admire and aspire to as a DEI professional in this space. Working with them and the rest of the DOM DEI Committee enables me to learn best practices so that I can expand on their work for all of GME and at the SOM level. I also hope that I am an asset to them in their needs as it relates to their programs for residents and fellows. In addition, I am pleased to be involved in the RYSE URiM Staff Affinity Group because I feel that although there is programming available for both faculty and learners, staff DEI needs are often left unaddressed and as a staff member myself, I am committed to that work.
What does inclusion look/feel like to you?
Inclusion is not just “checking off the boxes,” but really feeling supported, heard, and valued. One of my favorite graphics that I use in my workshops for learners is a slide talking about the differences between diversity — how many of “x” group are in the room?; inclusion — have we made sure everyone’s voice is heard?; and equity and justice — challenging the systems in place that favor certain voices over others and maintain the comfort of some while minimizing the psychological safety of those in the minority, removing the barriers to true participation and disruption of racism. Changing the hearts and minds of people to understand these systems is the first step. Still, my goal is that every resident and fellow feel that they can speak up, advocate for themselves, and be part of the decision-making processes to make necessary changes to our institution’s structures and policies.
How do you leverage your unique identity to promote DEI in your functional role?
I think my identity as a woman of color, a Black woman, a child of immigrants, a first-generation college (and beyond) student strengthens my resolve to promote DEI in every facet of what I do. It is part of who I am, what I am most passionate about, and part of my ethos. In addition, within my professional experiences in public health, I’ve had the opportunity to not only work with academics, physicians, and students from all walks of life, but also be involved in research and community engagement with populations of color, immigrants, sex workers, LGBTQ+ populations, and people living with HIV. I use the skills that I have and my unique background to relate to many different types of people — both in terms of identity and professional role/function—to help them understand the goals and rationale for DEI, particularly related to medical education, research, and health care.
What do you think is the biggest challenge in DEI right now?
Moving beyond talking about the issues to action; implementing actual interventions related to increasing equity in terms of patient care and reducing health disparities as well as within the professional and learning environment. Although there have been more efforts in increasing diversity, I’d like to move beyond those to inclusion, equity, and justice through policy changes, ways to report and respond to microaggressions and discrimination, and active training that moves beyond didactic lectures to a deep exploration of personal and institutional practices. Finding the political will and overarching buy-in of stakeholders, funding, and time to create and implement these changes is the biggest challenge.
If you had the opportunity to bring any resource/program/initiative to the department for any historically underrepresented group, what would that be and why?
That is a hard question to answer. I would like for there to be a real emphasis on incorporating DEI issues into every facet of the curriculum, not just in the classroom but in the clinical space for both learners and faculty. For all learners at the SOM to critically evaluate how treatments, policies, and procedures affect various populations’ health equity. As I said in my previous response, interventions for how to address experiences of microaggressions and inequitable practices and policies in real-time.
What figure in Black History and/or Women’s History has been your biggest inspiration, and why?
It is so hard to pick one figure in Black history that has been my greatest inspiration. Above all, I will say it’s broadly Black women and femmes who have nurtured and been the backbone of all the major civil rights victories and movements since the beginning of time. I am inspired by Black female writers like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, who so eloquently speak about the experiences of women and people of color both in prose and interviews. But, whether it’s Harriet Tubman, who led so many to freedom; Rosa Parks, who began the Montgomery bus boycott (who bears a striking resemblance to my ultimate inspiration, my mother); Marsha P. Johnson, femme activist who was a forgotten leader in the Stonewall uprising; Patrice Cullers, Alicia Garza, and Opal Tomenti, who formed the Black Lives Matter Network; GA’s own Stacey Abrams, who mobilized and registered 800,000 voters to turn my adopted state blue, historically; or any of the unknown and unsung women who have survived and birthed revolutions throughout history, my motto today and always will be to trust Black women.
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