On-campus Programs and Organizations that Promote Diversity in Health Care
At DMU, we have many initiatives and programs that work to increase diversity in health care, including the:
- Multicultural Affairs Student Advisory Council (MASAC), which provides DMU with input on programming to explore topics of diversity. Through the council, students are invited to plan campus events and participate in regular discussions related to diversity.
- Diversity Health Series, developed by Kaiser Permanente, which uses film to create interactive learning experiences for everyone on campus that raise cultural awareness, knowledge and skills for health care providers.
- Safe Zone program, which provides training, a network of support and community for people of all sexual orientations and gender expressions. Safe Zone encourages participants to ask questions, share insights and discuss concerns on how to improve cultural competence in health care.
- Seeking Justice Series (SJS), which is a student-led platform that highlights the importance of cultural competence in health care. Through it, DMU students foster an appreciation for equity and social justice by exploring how structures and systems facilitate health care disparities and how providers can design structural interventions and work toward solutions.
Student organizations offer a variety of ways to learn about other cultures and share your own. They include the:
- Medical Students for Latino Health
- Jewish Medical Student Group
- Muslim Osteopathic Student Association
- Pride Alliance
Several other organizations, including the Geriatrics Club and Pediatrics Club, give students insights on interacting with and serving distinct populations.
How to improve cultural competence in health care: Additional opportunities at DMU
While pursuing a health sciences education at DMU, you will also find clinical and volunteer opportunities at free clinics, back-to-school physical programs, a 50 & Better Health Fair and other programs and events. These opportunities will help you and your fellow students experience interacting with a variety of people and the health concerns and issues they face. We also offer a newly approved work-study position of Diversity Liaison, which will work to promote diversity in health care on campus.
Global health learning opportunities at DMU will allow you to participate in services trips, internships and more, where you’ll travel to foreign countries and areas throughout the U.S. that are in need of basic health services.