Dupage Policy Journal

Adtalem Global Education Inc. issued the following announcement on Nov. 16

The Adtalem Global Education Foundation has announced a two-year strategic partnership with the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (“STFM”), a national community of academic leaders committed to developing an accomplished family medicine workforce prepared to serve as the foundation of America’s health care system. 

With a two-year commitment of $180,750, the Adtalem Global Education Foundation will serve as the lead philanthropic partner for STFM’s Academic Family Medicine Antiracism Learning Collaborative, a project to: 

• Empower and educate faculty, so they will identify racist structures and behaviors within their academic institutions and become leaders for change
• Promote allyship
• Spread effective change strategies

“Adtalem is committed to combatting inequality and encouraging civic engagement across the entirety of the healthcare sector,” said Stephen Beard, president and CEO of Adtalem Global Education. “This partnership between the Adtalem Global Education Foundation and STFM strategically aligns with that commitment. Supporting and taking part in this national collaborative will help leaders and changemakers across the industry, including our own faculty participants, identify new approaches to combatting structural racism in medicine and improve health outcomes and equity by reducing disparities.”

“We are grateful to have the Adtalem Global Education Foundation as a philanthropic partner for this initiative,” said Judy Washington, M.D., president of the STFM Foundation. “We are hopeful that this is the beginning of an ongoing relationship to advance racial equity in medical education.” 

The Adtalem Global Education Foundation’s grant funding will help support a 20-month study where up to 20 selected pairs will attend in-person and virtual training sessions as they refine and implement projects to reduce racism within their respective institutions. Pairs will include a faculty member from a family medicine department or residency program and an ally from the same program, institution or health system. Pairs will be assigned mentors who will provide guidance and expertise.

“The project fills critical gaps in the efforts currently being implemented in academic institutions,” said Tricia Elliott, M.D., chair of the STFM Antiracism Task Force. “The dyad structure both promotes allyship and empowers and educates participants so they can be models and advocates for antiracism and become leaders for change.”

Adtalem’s institutions, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Walden University, collectively contribute to expanding access to education for a diverse range of students. As the Adtalem Global Education Foundation joins forces with STFM to support the collaborative, their combined efforts will promote racial equity and help address the prevalence of racism in academic family medicine.

For more information about STFM’s Academic Family Medicine Antiracism Learning Collaborative, visit https://stfm.org/news/2021news/10_11_21-call-for-applications-for-antiracism-learning-collaborative.

Original source can be found here.