Duke University School of Nursing

The School of Nursing (DUSON) Strategic Plan's People & Environment pillar outlines goals and strategies to address challenges associated with diversity and inclusion. Several goals and strategies are identified as priorities, including:

• Advance all dimensions of diversity and inclusiveness as essential components of excellence at DUSON
• Cultivate a culture that recognizes and respects the contributions and role of every individual at DUSON

DUSON's Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with its advisory committee, the Faculty Governance Association (FGA) Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and several strategic plan committees have worked to advance these strategies and recognize that opportunities exist for the challenges that remain.

DUSON’s newly-formed Racial Justice Task Force convened to specifically address racial justice at DUSON and is continuing to examine educational, research and administrative practices within the school that disadvantage individuals and groups from equitable access, successful advancement, and feeling a sense of belonging. Twenty-six students, faculty and staff were invited as active participants with the goal to develop preliminary racial justice recommendations. The planning team defined racial injustice, developed guiding principles, and outlined the process and timeline for phased implementation.

Read more from the Duke University School of Nursing M2M site

   Duke University School of Medicine

The Duke University School of Medicine (SOM) is committed to developing a strategic plan to dismantle racism within and among the broader community and to advance knowledge related to the health impacts—and mitigation strategies—of racial inequity.  Subsequently, SOM launched four constituent-based steering committees to identify key issues and opportunities related to dismantling racism and to engage the constituencies in formulating recommendations to advance these objectives.  In addition to the constituent committees, SOM is engaging with leaders from major research entities to build a robust research agenda.

An Oversight Committee of approximately twenty SOM representatives has also been formed to help integrate the committee findings, prioritize recommendations, and address any gaps.  The committees are diving deeply into structures, formal and informal processes, and culture that may contribute to racial inequities in order to make tangible recommendations on changes that will advance towards the goal of dismantling racism at SOM.

Goals:

• Significantly enhance racial diversity, equity, and sense of belonging across all constituents in the SOM
• Train a current and future healthcare and biomedical research workforce that is intentionally anti-racist within a broader context of social justice
• Foster educational and career development and satisfaction of all students, faculty, and staff
• Advance knowledge related to the impact of racism and racial inequities on health and biomedical sciences through our teaching, research, and clinical missions—and utilize our expertise to develop and deploy solutions for our local, regional, and national communities
• Establish DUSOM as an educational and research leader and agent of change towards an anti-racist culture
• In collaboration with the University, develop innovative partnerships with our community colleagues to advance careers in science and technology

Read more from Duke University School of Medicine - Office of Diversity and Inclusion and M2M site

   Duke Health Histories

Watch the following videos to learn about Duke Health's history, focusing on race and equity issues.