In 2019, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University (formerly known as Eastern Virginia Medical School) undertook the creation of a Strategic Plan to advance health equity, diversity and inclusion in a manner that impacts our campus and our interaction with the community.
Our intention was to develop the capacity to intentionally and reflectively come together as a campus community to identify opportunities to foster greater diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our core mission areas.
Richard V. Homan, MD, President and Provost of EVMS and Dean of the School of Medicine, launched the planning process in April 2019. More than 100 faculty, staff, residents and students attended the first strategic-plan retreat in May 2019.
During the planning process, five working groups recommended key initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in education, research, clinical care, community engagement and administration. An Advisory Committee organized the recommendations into strategic priorities and then coordinated with Co-Chairs of the working groups to review and prioritize the recommendations.
The Strategic Plan for Advancing Health Equity and Inclusion for Community and Academic Impact, which will be implemented from FY 2020 through FY 2024, consists of five strategic priorities:
- Provide Enriched Training and Assessment for Access and Success
- Foster and Maintain a Diverse Workforce and Learner Population
- Strengthen Community Engagement and Health Equity
- Enhance Health Equity Research and Clinical Services Delivery
- Benchmark for Excellence
The objectives, strategies, metrics, investments and timelines for achieving each priority are outlined in detail
within the full report.