BEYOND FLEXNER ALLIANCE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • History of BFA
    • Vision and Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • BFA Team
    • Remembering Fitz
  • Our Initiatives
    • Health Workforce Diversity Initiative
    • Social Mission Metrics Initiative
    • BFA Allies
    • Student Assembly >
      • Social Mission Scholarship
    • Health Justice Fellowship
  • Events
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2022
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2021 (Virtual)
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2018
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2016
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2015
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2012
    • Macy Awards
  • Newsroom
    • Annual Report
    • News and Media
    • Newsletters
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Resources
    • Social Mission Resources
    • Structural Racism Resources
  • Contact Us

WEBINARS

Beyond Flexner Alliance Webinars

Beyond Flexner Alliance, in collaboration with various organizations, come together with field experts to discuss current themes that relate to health equity and social mission in health professions.
Combating Racism in Health Professions Education: The Student Perspective 
About the event:

The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the Beyond Flexner Alliance (BFA) Student Assembly co-hosted the Combating Racism in Health Professions Education: The Student Perspective webinar, as part of the “Health Education Leaders Pushing” (HELP) for Change Webinar Series. The series aims to highlight rising stars, empower health professions students, and provide a platform to uplift their voices. 
​
Speakers:
  • Jaileessa Casimir, Medical Student, CUNY School of Medicine 
  • Dao Ho, Physician Assistant Student, Yale University Physician Associate Program
  • Grace Lo, Physician Assistant Student, A.T. Still University
  • Yamani Vinson, Masters in Health Services Administration Student, University of Michigan
Moderators: 
  • Katrina Jimenez, Physician Assistant Student, Yale University Physician Associate Program
  • David Namnath, BSc Biochemistry, ADN/BSN Student, College of Marin, Sonoma State University​
​
Theme: Racism has manifested systematically and is present in every facet of social life. It fuels structural inequities, racialized oppression and health disparities. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing police brutality have further highlighted the multifaceted effects of racism and resulting health disparities disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minority groups. Social inequities and societal structural hurdles have placed a heavy burden on Black and Brown health professional students to be advocates for themselves and their patients. Health professions education may perpetuate racial inequity through lacking awareness and sensitivity to the systemic injustices that marginalized students face. HPE has the responsibility of not only educating and preparing students for their careers as health professionals but equipping them with the resources to dismantle institutionalized racism. It is imperative that HPE is cognizant of its role in perpetuating racism. In addition, HPE should be active in seizing opportunities to diversify faculty and staff, mastering racial sensitivity and cultural awareness and implementing adequate representation within courses. The fight for social justice and racial equity calls on health professions students and faculty to hold their institutions accountable. 

Webinar Objective:
​
●  To allow students to speak on the impact of racism and structural inequity within HPE
●  To foster a safe environment where health professions students can discuss how HPE may perpetuate racial trauma 
●  To provide ways that institutions can be both supportive of their marginalized students and be held accountable for their role in combating racial injustice.

Audience Q&A will give webinar attendees the opportunity to engage with webinar speakers. As a result of the webinar, the BFA Student Assembly will develop a written guide for health professions institutions on how to better uplift and protect marginalized students within health professions education. The contents of the guide will be derived from the ideas expressed from the webinar.

About the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN)

OADN is recognized nationally as the voice and advocate for the over 1,100 community college nursing programs across the country. OADN ensures that the Associate Degree Nursing remains a pathway for a diverse spectrum of students, enriching the profession, and meeting the health care needs of patients, families, and communities. OADN represents over 50% of all newly licenses professional registered nurses (RN) which equates to an average of 81,000 RNs annually. OADN’s vision is to expand networks that promote leadership, collaboration, and advocacy to further enrich nursing education and the communities we serve.

​Health Professions Students' Voices on Voting and the Election
About the event:
The Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and the Beyond Flexner Alliance (BFA) Student Assembly co-hosted the Health Professions Students Voices on Voting and the Election webinar, as part of the “Health Education Leaders Pushing” (HELP) for Change Webinar Series. The series aims to highlight rising stars, empower health professions students, and provide a platform to uplift their voices. ​
Speakers:
  • Anthony Carli, PA Candidate ’21, Midwestern University (AZ)
  • Jonathan Kusner, MD Candidate ’21, Harvard Medical School
  • Caroline Lipic, DPT Candidate ’21, Saint Louis University
  • Vishnu Muppala, MPH, MD Candidate ’21, Florida Atlantic University CESCOM
  • Maria Dalzell, PA Candidate ’21, Yale University
  • Tiffany Lacroix, BS Candidate ’21, Sophie Davis Biomedical Program, The City College of New York
Theme: 
Voting is inextricably linked to health, as are the effects of elections. During the COVID-19 pandemic and amidst the ongoing fight against racial injustice, voter turnout was at an all time high, especially among students. Many initiatives, spearheaded by young people and health profession students, were geared towards registering individuals to vote and making sure people had a voting plan. After much hard work and anticipation, Vice President Biden and Senator Kamala Harris were announced as the President-elect and the Vice President-elect of the United States of America. As the country prepares for an administration change, it is imperative that the Biden-Harris Administration remember their commitment to serving the American people and keep the needs of Americans front and center.

Student voices are often left out of the conversation, but now, more than ever, students must make their voices heard and seek to hold the Biden-Harris Administrative responsible for addressing the top issues facing the health professions student community. The siege of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 threatened the democratic ideals the United States was founded on. These events call on us to come together to reflect and operationalize actionable steps to promote democracy and racial justice.

Webinar Objective:
  • To provide insight into various voting initiatives
  • To create a safe environment for students by students to discuss their response and viewpoints regarding the 2020 election results
  • To allow students to share top health professions student issues for the Biden/Harris Administration to address
  • To establish a space for students to process current events and share actionable steps

The outcome product from this webinar will include a piece written from the BFA Student Assembly to be sent to the Biden/Harris Administration regarding top issues they should address within their first 100 days in Office from the health professions student perspective.

Additional Resources:
  • Med Out the Vote (MOTV): students can contact MOTV to learn how to build organizing skills and receive school specific voter registration resources. Currently, toolkits and didactic series are being created and are planned to roll out Spring 2021.
  • Vot-Er: MOTV's close partner. MOTV and Vot-er are working together to establish the 2021 Healthy Democracy Campaign in August. The 2020 campaign was an opportunity for students to enter organizing and advocacy work (students at over 80 medical schools and hospitals registered/facilitated absentee ballot requests for over 13000 patients and colleagues). It is highly encouraged to become familiarized with Vot-er's website in prep of this year's campaign.
  • VoteHealth: a non-partisan coalition of health professionals collaborating to increase the number of peers and patients registered to vote. Click “Learn More” to learn how to be involved!
  • Vote 411: a website hosted by the League of Women Voters that provides high quality non-partisan ballot information for all state, local, and national ballot initiatives. This is a great website for students to find something they are passionate about and who are interested in entering advocacy work.
​Emergency Health Workforce Policies to Address COVID-19: Social Mission in Health Professions Schools
About the event:
Lawrence Deyton, MSPH, MD, of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences discusses the clinical public health curriculum work at GW and how these principles are being deployed in response to COVID-19. David Edelman, MD, of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons provides a student’s perspective, noting especially how interprofessional students can build on existing structures and relationships to mobilize in a crisis. Veronica Thierry Mallett, MD, MMM, of Meharry Medical College shares community strategies and approaches Meharry has undertaken to improve health equity during the pandemic and future recommendations for health care providers and policy makers.
​
Picture
View the recording
Relevant materials:
  • Social Mission Metrics: Developing a Survey to Guide Health Professions Schools
  • GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences Curricula and Programs in Clinical Public Health
  • Columbia University COVID-19 Student Service Corps
  • Johns Hopkins Service-Learning Toolkit
  • Black Medical Leaders: Coronavirus Magnifies Racial Inequities, with Deadly Consequences
  • Meharry Medical College COVID-19 Assessment Site Helps Underserved Community
  • Researchers Study Why Men Seem To Be More Affected By COVID-19
  • Global Health 50/50 COVID-19 Sex-Disaggregated Data Tracker
  • KFF Growing Data Underscore that Communities of Color are Being Harder Hit by COVID-19
  • Urban COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities
  • AMA COVID-19 Health Equity Resource​
Applying systems thinking to address structural racism in health professions education: curriculum, structural compentency, and institutional change
About the event: 
​​
Structural racism encompasses public policies, institutional practices, and cultural norms that perpetuate racism across systems — in policing, housing, education, and health care. These structures underlie health disparities, as well as the discrimination faced by students, residents, and faculty. Racial inequities exposed by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement are prompting a reassessment of the training of future health care leaders. Transformative 
Picture
View the recording
change in health professions education will require a systems' thinking approach, embracing a structural competency framework, and applying that framework to our institutions. Addressing structural racism will ensure future physicians are more likely to fully serve marginalized communities, while also improving the lived experiences of trainees, faculty, and leaders in our academic institutions.
​

Speakers included:
  • Robert Rock, MD, Co-founder, Yale Health Justice Elective, Family Medicine Resident, Montefiore Health System
  • Helena Hansen, MD, PhD, Co-Organizer of Structural Competency, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
  • Michelle Morse, MD, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow, Co-founder of EqualHealth and the Social Medicine Consortium, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
  • Maya M. Hammoud, MD, MBA (Moderator), Senior Advisor on Medical Education, American Medical Association​
​Reimagining Health Professions School for Students of Color During COVID-19
About the event:
​
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) and the Beyond Flexner Alliance (BFA) Student Assembly co-hosted their first webinar, Reimagining Health Professions School for Students of Color during COVID-19, as part of the Health Education Leaders Pushing (HELP) for Change Webinar Series on Friday, September 11, 2020. The series aims to highlight rising stars and empower health professional students. 
 
In the wake of COVID-19, life as a student has drastically changed. Many students contracted, cared for, or lost someone due to the virus. While dealing with the terrors of the virus itself, many students were displaced from their campuses and forced to study in unforeseen conditions as the world they once knew unraveled before them. 

Picture
View the recording
Moreover, students of color were disproportionately impacted as the pandemic revealed pre-existing systematic inequities that produce negative outcomes in their communities. It is evident that many institutions were not prepared to handle the effects of the pandemic. The lack of transparency and delay in resources to alleviate students of these struggles further contribute to the issues that arose during these times. It is time for students to express their thoughts, hold their institutions accountable for needed accommodations, and learn how to advocate for themselves as the upcoming virtual school year approaches.
​

Speakers and Moderators included:
  • Camila Espinoza, Yale Nursing Student
  • Bernadette Lim, UCSF Medical Student, Co-founder of the Freedom School and Freedom Clinic, Woke Women of Color Docs Podcast
  • Rachel Nation, MPH, Columbia Public Health Student, CUNY School of Medicine
  • Autumn Nobles, Yale Medical Student
  • Ali Bokhari, DO, MPH, National President, American Medical Student Association
  • Jaileessa Casimir, CUNY School of Medicine Student

Connect with us!

info@beyondflexner.org

Picture
Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About Us
    • History of BFA
    • Vision and Mission
    • Board of Directors
    • BFA Team
    • Remembering Fitz
  • Our Initiatives
    • Health Workforce Diversity Initiative
    • Social Mission Metrics Initiative
    • BFA Allies
    • Student Assembly >
      • Social Mission Scholarship
    • Health Justice Fellowship
  • Events
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2022
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2021 (Virtual)
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2018
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2016
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2015
    • Beyond Flexner Conference 2012
    • Macy Awards
  • Newsroom
    • Annual Report
    • News and Media
    • Newsletters
    • Webinars
    • Videos
  • Resources
    • Social Mission Resources
    • Structural Racism Resources
  • Contact Us