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The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center

Johns Hopkins Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship Program

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives

Vibrant and Diverse

Our Baltimore community is vibrant and diverse.  However, with this diversity comes a long, storied history of racial and systemic inequity that persists to this day.  We at the Johns Hopkins Hematology & Medical Oncology Fellowship Program are committed to combating this inequity both in the community and within our own institutional workforce.

 

On the right: Map of Baltimore originating from the federally-sponsored practice of residential redlining by the Home Owner’s Loan Corporation in the 1930s that has perpetuated health, socioeconomic, and environmental inequities for generations.

Aged street map of the Baltimore area

Our Mission

Foster Authentic Dialogue: To develop comprehensive curriculum to discuss the deep-seeded and ongoing structural roots of racism and gender bias in healthcare and society

Recruit a Diverse Workforce: To establish educational policies to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and fellow workforce

Increase Community Engagement: To develop institution-local partnerships to increase community engagement and mentorship

Promote Disparities Research: To establish a dedicated research track for the academic study of healthcare disparities

Four overlapping circles in different colors with the following: Authentic Dialogue, Diverse workforce, community engagement and Disparities Research

Authentic Dialogue

We have created a longitudinal lecture series that introduces DEI topics that impact the care we provide to our patients in the community. These lectures are interactive and lead discussions on Baltimore’s history of institutional racism and the impact of structural inequities on public health, cancer outcomes, workforce recruitment/retention, and financial burden.  In addition to didactic lectures, our speakers hold career guidance sessions directly with our fellows. 

Our speakers have included:

• Dr. Chuck Callahan, Vice President of Population Health at University of Maryland Medical Center

• Dr. Otis Brawley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University

• Dr. Mandi Pratt-Chapman, Associate Director for Community Outreach, Engagement and Equity at GW Cancer Center

• Dr. Linda Resar, Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University

 

Diverse Workforce

We are wholly committed to increasing diversity within our fellowship and promoting a culture of equity and inclusion.   

Our recruitment initiatives have included:

  • Implicit bias training for all fellows and faculty involved in recruitment
  • Revamping of our interview and selection process to promote an environment of inclusivity

With these efforts, 30% of our incoming 2024-2025 fellowship class are Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM)

But we will not stop there.

Community Engagement

Our faculty and fellows are passionate about training and inspiring the next generation of physicians and scientists.  We are committed to facilitating the pipeline of URiM trainees from high school to fellowship and beyond and to supporting trainees interested in serving underserved communities.

Our fellowship program community engagement initiatives include:

  • ASCO Underrepresented Minority (URM) Medical Student Rotation (MSR) Program
    • Mentorship program to introduce medical students to inpatient rotations, outpatient clinics, and research projects in oncology and cancer disparities
  • ASH Minority Medical Student Award Program (MMSAP)
    • Research mentorship program for URM medical students interested in academic hematology
  • Diversity Postdoctoral Alliance Committee (DPAC) HBCU Mentoring Program
    • Johns Hopkins Faculty and Trainees mentor undergraduate students from Morgan State University
  • MERIT Health Leadership Academy
    • Mentorship program with local URM high school and college students interested in careers in medicine
  • ASH Sickle Cell Away Rotation
    • Clinical rotation through the Johns Hopkins Sickle Cell Center for Adults for fellows at outside programs interested in comprehensive sickle cell disease training

Disparities Research

Over the past 5 years, our program has prioritized trainee research in hematology & medical oncology disparities and health policy research.  We have built a robust network of medical students, residents, fellows, and faculty who are passionate about this research and have published their work in high-impact journals.

Our disparities research efforts have included:

  • Development of an institutional disparities registry for cancer patients
  • Participation in large cancer registry-based epidemiologic studies in healthcare disparities
  • Leadership of national quality improvement efforts in trainee education