At a time when diversity among Americans – in terms of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and many other factors – has never been greater, it’s imperative the University prepare future health professionals who can provide effective, culturally competent care to all. But what does “cultural competency” entail?
Regardless of one’s personal views, attitudes against non-heterosexuals are harmful to health care, both for patients and the profession. As a nation founded on principles of democracy, freedom and inalienable rights, America remains unsettled in its acceptance of individuals who are not heterosexual – often referred to as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning their…
Equipping health care students to provide competent, respectful care for all patients, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and questioning populations, is both a challenge and an imperative for institutions like DMU. It’s not about being “nice”; it’s a critical aspect of educational and professional excellence.
Medical professionals who understand the diverse and unique health care needs of LGBTQ patients are key to competent, compassionate health care. Lack of that understanding as well as the stigma and disparities experienced by many non-heterosexuals can compound these populations’ health problems.
“LGBT individuals are individuals,” states Will Narracci, D.O.’14, M.P.H.’14. “They are people with whom we interact on a daily basis, people we already know, like and respect, who happen to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.”
For Elizabeth and Greg Schmick, the weighty concepts of faith, the environment, poverty, employment and human relationships are tied together by Eisenia fetida, the red wiggler worm. This humble creature’s remarkable ability to process organic matter into compost fertilized an idea for helping people help themselves.
As a molecular biology undergraduate at the University of California-Berkeley, Hiral Patel had no idea how much some arm-twisting by a friend would change her life – and, subsequently, the lives of hundreds of people in Honduras as well as many of her DMU classmates.
Of all the journeys represented by all the people on DMU’s commencement stage on May 26, that of Jaap Jan Lind is perhaps most epic. Also epic are the accomplishments represented by the 529 graduate degrees the University recently awarded, all properly celebrated with a gamut of graduation festivities.
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