VCOM View Magazine Vol. 13 | No. 1

VCOM Receives Health Professions Higher Education Excellence In Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine

In what has become an annual honor, VCOM’s work to build a richly diverse community has again been recognized by INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine. In October 2024, the College was honored with the magazine’s Health Professions from Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. This is the fifth time VCOM has been named as a Health Professions HEED Award recipient. INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, and their annual Health Professions HEED Award is a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. VCOM has established several programs as part of its daily commitment to diversity, including: • A commitment to recruiting students from underserved and rural communities.

• A college-wide Office for Diversity and Inclusion, which helps VCOM recruit diverse students, faculty and staff across its four campuses, as well as DEI committees on each campus, ensuring that the particular needs of students at each campus are being addressed. HBCUs and institutions with large Hispanic populations to form articulation agreements and guarantee interview slots to their students. • Operating a summer program for high school students that introduces them to medical professions and is offered at no cost to diverse and first generation students. You can read more about the Summer Enrichment Experience at VCOM-Virginia on page 47. • Working closely with and supporting the Area Health Education Consortium • Partnering with select

(AHEC) which promotes programs for minorities, rural and first-generation students. • Supporting the work of a variety of student groups that enrich campus life with many guest speakers and seminars related to diversity in connection with healthcare and osteopathy topics, like treating LGBTQ+ patients, trauma-informed osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) practices and providing care to Muslim women.

“Educating future physicians on the importance of diversity in the health care system is crucial. More inclusivity and representation amongst healthcare professionals can ease patient anxieties, increase compliance and improve patient outcomes.”

Kim Gittings , Director for Diversity and Inclusion VCOM-Virginia

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