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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

The Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) recognizes and embraces visible and invisible differences, including age, ideas and perspectives, disabilities, veteran status, ethnicity, national origin, race, religious and spiritual beliefs, creed, sex, gender identity and gender expression, sex, sexual orientation, and the socioeconomic and geographic composition of its faculty, administrative professionals, staff and students. As a health college, we are dedicated to the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion in health care and in the education of our students, clinical services, community collaboration and scholarly activity.

CHSP Points of Pride

  • Assisting ongoing University and college-wide efforts to create and foster opportunities for inclusive curriculum and educational programming.
  • Helping to prepare all CHSP students (both traditional and online) to work with individuals from different backgrounds and experiences.
  • Engaging with faculty and staff who express interest in learning more about and/or improving CHSP's DEI initiatives.

  • The CHSP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee has hosted a series of Diversity Dialogues which have included:

    • Famous Women in Healthcare
    • Confronting Hidden Bias in Healthcare
    • Gender
    • Diversity related to politics and health care
    • LGBTQ+ (Pride Week)

  • Physician Assistant Program:   Revising admissions process to be more inclusive with the ultimate goal of training PAs who reflect the diversity of those they will serve.

  • Social Work: Engaging in and learning from anti-racist assessment of social work curriculum. Exploring the real history of social work in the country.

  • Environmental Health: EH 3200 class, The Built Environment and Health, inspected buildings on campus for compliance with ADA as a fieldwork assignment.

  • Online programs: Improving student preparedness to work with people with different abilities for both traditional and online students. 

  • The college curriculum committee reviews all new courses, course changes, program changes, and new programs.   In doing so, the members identify opportunities to incorporate more DEI topics or depth into course content.

  • Faculty are willing to learn and improve with DEI initiatives (though lacking accreditation standards presents limitations for supporting faculty growth in DEI).

CHSP Look on Diversity: Caila Gissentaner

Health care disparities among minority communities are a top priority concern and a driving force behind Calia's decision to seek a career in health care.
Read Calia's Story

CHSP DEI Spotlight

DEI Spotlight offers the opportunity for CHSP faculty, staff, and students to learn and change together through conversation.

Do you have an idea for a prompt or question to discuss at DEI Spotlight? We'd love to hear it!

Submit an Idea

Past Events

October 23-27, 2023:  Implicit Bias

CHSP DEI Committee Implicit Bias Month Prompts:

  1. How much implicit bias do you have currently towards people/groups?
  2. How do we create trust in health care systems for those from various cultural backgrounds?
  3. Do you know the facts vs. myths of organ donation?
  4. Do you feel your program is adequately preparing you to address implicit bias in your future career?
  5. How/what can programs do to prepare you to handle and understand implicit bias concerns?

Results for Implicit Bias Spotlight

September 20-24, 2023: Accessibility 

CHSP DEI Committee Accessibility Month Prompts:

  1. Do you currently identify as having a disability?
  2. If you currently identify as having a disability, is it intellectual or physical?
  3. How much bias do you currently have towards people/groups with disabilities?
  4. Do you feel that your program is adequately preparing you to address accessibility issues in your future career?

Results for Accessibility Spotlight

April 17-21, 2023: PRIDE 

CHSP DEI Committee Women's History Month Prompts:

  1. Which of the following barriers do you think that LGBTQIA+ people experience in accessing health care - please rank from greatest barrier to least barrier. (drag and drop choices)
  2. If you were working in a health care setting and heard an offensive comment about a member of the LGTBQ+ community, would you say anything?
  3. What SPECIFIC ideas do you have about how we can remove barriers for LGBTQ+ people for health care OR address common assumptions about the LGBTQ+ community?

March 20-24, 2023: Celebrating Women's History Month - Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories

CHSP DEI Committee Women's History Month Prompts:

  1. What is an important issue that needs to be addressed to ensure women have the same opportunities and rights as men and what can you do an individual to address that important issue?
  2. What can we do to ensure that women have equal opportunities in education and health care employment?
  3. What can men do to become better allies to women in supporting gender equity in health care?
  4. How do these identities below influence how women interact with and experience health and health care?

Results from Women's History Month Prompts

February 15-17, 2022: Gender

"You just wish sometimes that people would treat you like a human being rather than seeing your gender first and who you are second.” – Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress

Prompts:

  1. Have you ever had someone make assumptions about you based on gender? What did it feel like?
  2. Have you ever made an incorrect assumption about someone based on gender? What led you to that?

March 22-24, 2022: Pride Week

Prompts: 

  1. Do health care workers hold biases toward the LGBTQ+ population?
  2. Did someone ever make you feel judged unfairly? How did it feel? Why do you think it happened?
  3. What is the influence of bias on health care services and outcomes?
  4. How can we help others be more aware of bias to provide the best possible health care?

April 19-21, 2022: Confronting Hidden Bias in Healthcare

We all have biases. A bias is a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment that may be overt or unconscious.  

During this event, participants were asked to look at a variety of photos and answer a variety of questions (e.g., How do you feel about the photos?).

OHIO's Division of Diversity and Inclusion

Ohio University's Division of Diversity and Inclusion serves and celebrates all people by helping them explore productive ways to navigate intersections of diverse identities, experiences and perspectives.

Learn More About the Division of Diversity and Inclusion

The Division furthers inclusive campus efforts through four centers: The LGBT Center, Multicultural Center and the Women's Center.

Division of Diversity and Inclusion Centers

CHSP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Members

The CHSP Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee aims to facilitate and promote diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the college.

Current DEI Committee Members

Chair

  • Sally Marion-Fetty – Associate Professor and Senior Associate Dean, Dean's Office, marinels@ohio.edu

Committee Members

  • Terri Hood-Brown – Assistant Professor of Instruction, Nursing, hood-bro@ohio.edu
  • Sharon Perry – Associate Professor, Exercise Physiology, perrys1@ohio.edu
  • Evan Harris – Assistant Professor, Social Work, harrise@ohio.edu
  • Denielle Vasquez – Director of Admissions & Recruitment, Physician Assistant Practice, vasquezd@ohio.edu
  • Rachel Bican – Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator of the Pediatric FUNctional Mobility (FUN) Lab, Physical Therapy, bican@ohio.edu
  • Kimberly Ephlin – Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, Dean's Office, ephlin@ohio.edu
  • Seonghee Hong-Assistant Professor of Instruction, shong@ohio.edu
  • Julie Brown - Associate Profession, brownj14@ohio.edu