Advancing diversity takes many forms—recruiting and retaining people from underrepresented groups, getting to the root of health care inequalities, and delivering health services to disadvantaged people, to name a few.
Below is a selection of stories from our publications that highlight such efforts at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“Mixing It Up” June 2006
Johns Hopkins Medicine announced its diversity and inclusion initiative in Spring 2006. While there had been earlier efforts to improve diversity on a smaller level, the launch of this organization-wide effort demonstrated the commitment to changing Hopkins’ culture and remaining a leader in the field.
“The Difference a Word Makes” October 2006
Johns Hopkins Medicine added language about diversity to its mission, vision and core values statement—the entity’s guiding values and principles. “Adding the word makes it official,” says Dean/CEO Ed Miller, “that we’re committed to hiring people from across all cultures.”
“Caring Across Cultural Divides” November 2006
In 2006, Johns Community Physicians embarked on a robust plan to help deal with the group’s increasingly diverse mix of patients. The effort features training in cultural competency, which can give clinicians and staff the skills to understand societal differences that may pose barriers to effective health care delivery.
“Diverse Scholars” April 2007
A scholarship program has helped to attract the most sought-after minority students to the School of Medicine in recent years.
“Building the Pipeline” September 2007 
In 1996, underrepresented minorities—African Americans and Hispanics—made up just 5 percent of incoming residents in Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center’s Department of Medicine. But steady and dedicated efforts, such as changing how the department recruits and selects residents, have pushed minority representation to 33 percent of the interns who entered in 2007.
“Overcoming the ‘Disconnect’ of Disparity” Fall 2007
Lisa Cooper, an African-American professor of medicine and the recipient of a $500,000 MacArthur “genius” Fellowship in 2007, is an internationally recognized expert in racial and ethnic disparities in health care.
— Read also “A Matter of Communication” about Cooper’s research into how race and class affect clinical encounters and patient outcomes
“The Right Direction” Fall 2007
The Department of Medicine at The Johns Hopkins Hospital is a national pacesetter: One out of every five residents in the internal medicine program now qualifies as an underrepresented minority, compared to a national average of 13.5 percent. The picture for women has also brightened.
“Minority Recruitment Recognized” April 2008
Johns Hopkins physician in chief Myron “Mike” Weisfeldt was awarded the 2008 Diversity Award from the Association of Professors of Medicine. The award recognizes his efforts to increase diversity among residents, fellows and the professorial ranks as director of the Department of Medicine.
“Translating Health” May 2008
A growing roster of clinicians in Hopkins Medicine is reaching out to help Baltimore’s Hispanic immigrant families lead healthier lives.
