House Staff Diversity Collaborative

Charge

The House Staff Diversity Collaborative was established in 2020 by the Office of Graduate Medical Education to focus on providing support to underrepresented in medicine house staff members and creating a more inclusive learning environment.

Overarching Goals

The goals of the collaborative are to foster house staff professional and leadership development, provide mentorship and networking opportunities, and support outreach pipeline programming and recruitment.

Professional and leadership development opportunities are provided through career development seminars and panel discussions. Mentorship and networking opportunities with faculty are facilitated through formal and informal programming. Institutional and community outreach and pipeline programming is supported through collaboration with established groups.

The collaborative is encouraged to provide recommendations to build on current GME initiatives to increase diversity and ensure that house staff experiences across UI Health Care are equitable and inclusive.

Membership

Co-Chairs

Nkanyezi Ferguson, portrait

Kanya Ferguson, MD
GME Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology

Michael Osnard, MD, MS, MPH
Associate of Internal Medicine - General Internal Medicine

Professional Development and Mentorship Work Groups

Quarterly Collab & Annual External Guest Speaker Sharing Information about Diversity*

  • Femi Suraju*, MD General Surgery
  • Ololade Saliu, MD Psychiatry
  • Oluweminmo Adeyanju, MD Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Mentorship with Faculty and Visiting Professors

  • Denise Jacob, MD Pathology
  • Alexis Warren, MD Ophthalmology
  • Alex Garza, MD Internal Medicine

House Staff Engagement Workgroups

Networking and Social Events & Monthly Resident/Fellow Highlight

  • Babtunde Olaiya, MbChB Gastroenterology
  • Alex Garza, MD Internal Medicine
  • Alexis Warren, MD Ophthalmology
  • Oluwemimo Adeyanju, MD Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Wellness

  • Alanna Tisdale, MD Ophthalmology
  • Victor Hatcher, MD Vascular Surgery Integrated

Community Outreach and Student Engagement Workgroups

Pipeline Programming/ Medical Student Mentorship

  • Denise Jacob, MD Pathology
  • Aaron Dotson*, MD Ophthalmology
  • Femi Suraju, MD General Surgery
  • Josiah Zubairu*, MD Cardiovascular Disease

Community Outreach

  • Babatunde Olaiya, MbChB Gastroenterology
  • Ololade Saliu, MD Psychiatry
  • Josiah Zubairu, MD Cardiovascular Disease

Membership includes an interdepartmental group of resident and fellow physicians who are underrepresented in medicine (URiM).

Interested in joining the House Staff Diversity Collaborative? Contact Dr. Kanya Ferguson at nkanyezi-ferguson@uiowa.edu.