Social Justice Education & Curriculum

The Social Justice Education and Curriculum Committee works to advance health equity by facilitating, creating, and organizing educational resources and curriculum related to justice, antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the Department. Our goal is to provide DEI-related educational learning materials and training opportunities to our faculty, staff, residents, fellows, and medical students that will support the needs of our clinical, research, and training environments.

Projects, training, and curriculum

• DEI QI (quality improvement) project that supports the development of future DEI QI projects by providing a list of acceptable DEI terms and project ideas that faculty, staff, residents, and fellows can employ to advance DEI efforts in their various divisions. Led by Ann Marie Gustafson, Tripti Soni, Eryn Nagel, and Kim Gordon-Achebe, MD, DFAPA.
• "Antiracism and Social Determinants of Mental Health Curriculum Development for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows," led by Kim Gordon-Achebe, MD, DFAPA, Tiffany Beason, PhD, and Crystal Han, MD.
• Rachael Funk, LCSW, in collaboration with the School of Social Work, participated in LEAD training (Leading for Equity, Anti-Racism and Diversity). The training focused on cultivating an anti-racist mindset, promoting equity, and dismantling structural racism and oppression within social work fields.

Awards

• Kimberly Gordon-Achebe, MD, DFAPA, is the award recipient of the Jeanne Spurlock, MD, Minority Fellowship Achievement Award that will be presented at the APA Annual Meeting on May 24, 2022, for her decade of service in support of minority populations.
• Crystal Han, MD, is the awardee of the University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry Annual Research Day Elevator Speech Competition for her poster, “Development of a Culturally Sensitive Asian American/Pacific Islander Curriculum for Child Psychiatry Trainees.”

Presentations and publications

• The Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry developed a newsletter as part of the Social Justice Education and Curriculum subcommittee, and is led by Janice Mace, Jacqueline Atunrase, and Tiffany Beason, PhD.
• Scholarly projects and publications on DEI-related topics with faculty members, residents, and fellows include: 

Poster presentations

1. Han, C, Gordon-Achebe, K, Forrester, A. “Development of a Culturally Sensitive Asian American/Pacific Islander Curriculum for Child Psychiatry Trainees.” Accepted poster presentation at the Annual American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA. Expected May 2022.
2. Gustafson, A, Soni, T, Nagel, E, Gordon-Achebe, K. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-Quality Improvement (QI) Toolbox as an Actionable Means to Effect Justice-Oriented Clinical Change.” Accepted poster presentation at the Annual American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA. Expected May 2022.

Proffered communications

1. Gordon, K, Malaspina, D, Forrester, A, Han, C. “An Antiracist Approach to Teaching Social Determinants of Mental Health Curriculum for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists” general session. Accepted. American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. May 2022.

Peer Reviewed Publications

1. Legha RK, Clayton A, Yuen L, Gordon-Achebe K. "Nurturing Children’s Mental Health Body and Soul: Confronting American Child Psychiatry’s Racist Past to Reimagine Its Antiracist Future." Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics. 2022 Apr 1;31(2):277-94.
2. Han C, Chou S, Shaligram D, Chan V, Song S, Edwards S, Gordon-Achebe K. "Development of a Culturally Sensitive Asian American/Pacific Islander Curriculum for Child Psychiatry Trainees." Academic Psychiatry. 2022 Feb;46(1):89-90.
3. Ortega J, Gordon M, Gordon-Achebe K, Robitz R. "Survivors of Human Trafficking." In Diversity in Action 2022 (pp. 33-56). Springer, Cham.

1. Create a repository of justice, diversity, and health equity lectures in partnership with the Education Office to supplement trainee and faculty education, and develop a list of recognized expert speakers around DEI topics.
2. Develop a list of educational goals and objectives around racism, equity, and diversity to be shared with the entire Department.
3. Mentor residents/fellows on DEI QI projects or other associated research, which incorporates topics related to social justice, diversity, and health equity work.
4. Develop a strategic plan for expanding mentorship opportunities for residents and fellows by including volunteer faculty and former residents and fellows.