Last year, the national conversation shifted in sharp focus to the structural inequities which have shaped our society for centuries.  We had already witnessed the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, however it was the murder of George Floyd in May of 2020 which struck the heart and soul of the nation.  The country witnessed a summer of protests and conversations which were focused on the frustration and fatigue related to the continued evidence of structural racism, dating back 400 years.  The confluence of the inequities observed during the pandemic and the continued evidence of inequities in interactions between police and black and brown communities created a national reckoning regarding structural racism not only across the country, but within organizations, including academic medical centers.

Penn Medicine stepped up and responded to the call for action in this time of uncertainty.  A cross institutional initiative, ACT - Action for Cultural Transformation emerged in the summer of 2020 as an answer to this call.  For the first time in our history, there was blending of two communities, the Perelman School of Medicine and the University Health System at a pivotal moment and a Penn Medicine strategic framework for change emerged.  Over 5,500 voices, 160 recommendations, 122 data gathering sessions, and town hall sessions contributed to the development of key action items and a strategic plan.  One of the first steps in the process was to create a common language and take long overdue action on specific areas, such as the removal of a painting depicting an enslaved woman of color hanging in a conference room.  Medical students previously advocated for the removal of this painting for years and finally, it took this moment of enlightenment to make that action a reality.  Between the training and the action items such as this example, labeled as Just Do Its, many who doubted the institution was serious became allied in action.  During the first 13 months of ACT, 96% of the 45,554 employees, students, faculty, and trainees and 76 % of action items referred to as “Just Do Its” were completed. 

And so, we celebrate everyone who was critical to this success, particularly those women who are members of the Steering Committee, Pillar Leadership, and the Initiative Leadership, who are continuing to work relentlessly on the 11 key action items identified as important to this effort for the next 2 years.  We also recognize the core working group, which met weekly last summer and fall to create the scaffold for this strategic framework.  We appreciate everyone’s contribution and continued work on ACT which aims to transform the Penn Medicine culture, united as an anti-racist, equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization.  There are many more we wish to thank for contributing to the launch of ACT, institutional, departmental and hospital leadership and everyone who participated in our town halls, data gathering sessions, and offered feedback using the website of the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity.  It really does take a village to make change.

Steering Committee

Eve Higginbotham
Angela Coladonato
Suzi Rose

Pillar Co-Leaders

Deirdre Francis - Culture
Suzie Rose – Education
Emma Meagher – Education
Jaya Aysola – Clinical
Pallavi Kumar – Clinical
Alice Yoder – Community
Lisa Bellini – People
Mary Mullins – Research
Rachel Werner – Research

Initiative Co-Leaders

Rosemary Thomas - Communication
Lisa Bellini – Hiring and Promotion Practices
Jody Foster – Employee Relations Outcomes
Lori Gustave – Affinity Groups
Kellie Jurado – Affinity Groups
Rachel Kleinman – Affinity Groups
Emma Meagher – Learner Support
Suzie Rose – Learner Support
Larissa Morgan – Design Forums for Group/Team Conversations
Mary Mullins – Cluster Hiring
Rachel Werner – Cluster Hiring
Kenya Pitt – Vice Chairs and DE&I Leadership Councils
Alice Yodor – Community Infrastructure
Reinaldine Fleury – Reporting and Addressing Racist Behaviors and Microaggressions
Aliza Narva – Reporting and Addressing Racist Behaviors and Microaggressions
Amana Buckley – Health Equity Certificate
Ayiti-Carmel Maharaj-Best – Health Equity Certificate

ACT Core Working Group

Lea Rubini
Kya Hertz
Jaya Aysola
Corrie Fahl
Cindy Morgan
Debbie Foster
Mary Mullins