News & Archives

We are writing in response to the open letter White Coats for Black Lives at the University of Rochester Medical Center sent on September 23 to us, other University deans, and many other members of our community.

Like you, the two of us were shocked by the images on police video and details of Daniel Prude's death that came to light September 2. So were the clinical teams who provided his care. The Medical Center immediately began an exhaustive chart review to understand how Mr. Prude, as he appeared in the videos we've all seen, could have been discharged from our hospital only hours before. We immediately offered to meet with Mr. Prude's family to answer questions about his evaluation and treatment.

Along with that debrief, we are cooperating fully with a case review by the Justice Center on behalf of the New York State Office of Mental Health, and a separate review by the Joint Commission. In addition, we are conducting a second comprehensive internal review by clinical experts not involved in Mr. Prude's care. The goal of these reviews is not simply to determine whether standards of care were met. It is to determine whether our care teams could have taken steps to prevent Mr. Prude's second encounter with police, and what we can learn from this terrible event to improve patient care for others facing substance abuse and/or mental health crises.

We encourage you, as future clinicians and scientists, to await more facts and findings from these reviews before reaching the conclusions contained in your open letter. As trainees, you understand HIPAA privacy laws and the importance of protecting patient information without permission to disclose it. Our institution is committed to respecting the privacy of Mr. Prude and his family, as well as HIPAA compliance. The limited amount of information we've been able to share about Mr. Prude's care should signal nothing more than the Medical Center's need to meet those moral and legal obligations.

As Mr. Prude's case is reviewed, our institution is working proactively to address systemic gaps in how our community cares for people in crisis. Internally, a group of clinicians with expertise in psychiatry, substance abuse treatment, emergency medicine, and primary care have been charged with studying our current systems—including emergency, inpatient, outpatient, and mobile crisis services—to find ways we can do better.

URMC is also participating in broader community dialogues, organized by the County Executive and other leaders, to find more effective, culturally responsive, and compassionate approaches to caring for people in crisis. This work brings together health providers, social service agencies, law enforcement representatives, and community advocates. Our institution is at the table helping to develop new solutions, and we intend to play a key role in implementing them, in collaboration with community partners.

As you know, URMC is preparing to release its Anti-Racism Action Plan in the very near future. The plan's goals and recommendations are based in large part on the June 10 demands referenced in your letter, and the input of other medical students, residents, trainees, faculty members and staff across the Medical Center. We have shared a draft recently with several leaders of White Coats for Black Lives at URMC to seek feedback.

The plan will support efforts by the University to ensure that our Department of Public Safety treats every individual with respect, dignity, and care. It will call for representation by more URMC learners on the Public Safety Review Board, to expand your role in setting policies and making decisions.

Our institution acknowledges racism as a public health crisis. We embrace the obligation of academic medicine to instill and exemplify principles of antiracism across our teaching, research and patient care missions. We approach this work with humility and an appreciation of the enormity of the challenge, coupled with determination to succeed. URMC is committed to becoming a leader among academic medical centers in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We view the upcoming release of URMC's antiracism action plan as a milestone on the journey of self-reflection and concentrated effort it will take to get there, and hope you will continue to participate in the process of making the plan work for everyone at URMC.

Thank you for your commitment to positive change in our community, and in the professions of medicine and science.

Mark B. Taubman, M.D.
CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center
Dean, School of Medicine & Dentistry (SMD)

Adrienne L. Morgan, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
School of Medicine and Dentistry

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By now, many are aware of the horrific death of Daniel Prude. Our University leadership yesterday delivered a message to our community that asked us all to take time to process our anger and sorrow, to help those who are struggling, and avail ourselves of resources and other support services.

This episode reinforces that we cannot move quickly enough to create an anti-racism action plan that assures a safe space for everyone in our medical center community. We are hard at work on this plan (read more about our progress), which aims to achieve an environment that lifts everyone up—learners and faculty, staff and patients, regardless of background. To achieve these goals, it's critical that we first focus on those who are currently marginalized or under-represented—particularly our Black students, faculty and staff who have been suffering the impacts of structural racism on this continent for centuries. There's a role we all can play to participate in healing our society from the scourges of racism, division and exclusion.

URMC CEO Mark B. Taubman, M.D., and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Adrienne Morgan, Ph.D.

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Jacob Blake. With sadness and frustration, we must say the name of another Black person wounded or killed by white police, this time in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Barely three months after the killing of George Floyd, our community must bear witness to more horrific images—first of Jacob Blake being shot in the back multiple times by a police officer, then of a white teenaged vigilante carrying a long gun into a group of protestors, two of whom were shot and killed. We join the University's Chief Diversity Officer, Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, in acknowledging the trauma faced by our Black learners, faculty, staff, patients, and community members.

This week's events in Kenosha are yet another painful reminder that communities across the country must move with urgency to confront systemic racism—including the University of Rochester Medical Center community. In joining the declaration that racism is a public health crisis, we acknowledged the need to translate good intentions into measurable actions. We have pledged to develop a comprehensive URMC anti-racism action plan by the end of September.

As the end of August approaches, we are on track to achieve that goal.

• We have met with key community leaders to hear their perspectives
• Each School of Medicine and Dentistry department chair and dean has been asked to produce an equity and inclusion plan for their department or program; their draft ideas are under review as part of developing the comprehensive plan
• Administrative leaders are developing parallel and linked initiatives to strengthen staff diversity and career development
• Under leadership of the Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, URMC has hired a program manager to help develop and administer the plan; the office will also add a lead investigator for equal opportunity and a senior manager for public relations and engagement to support plan execution
• We are forming a leadership group to develop approaches to study and address health disparities in our community in concert with community partners

Next month we will share our five-point plan that defines clear steps toward becoming an anti-racist institution where every person feels safe, welcome and supported. The plan will include timelines, accountabilities, and budgets -- including incremental staffing.

The images from Kenosha, like so many other disturbing images of racism and hatred we've seen this summer, generate a range of deep emotions in each of us. Let us use them to strengthen resolve in all of us to eliminate systemic racism, once and for all, starting with our own community.

Sincerely,

Mark B. Taubman, M.D.
CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center
Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry

Adrienne Morgan, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
School of Medicine and Dentistry

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A change in URMC leadership integrates our equity and inclusion efforts closely with those of the University and dedicates resources to building an anti-racist culture, while establishing a new center to advance gender and leadership.

Effective July 1, Adrienne Morgan, Ph.D., became senior associate dean (SAD) for Equity and Inclusion at the School of Medicine and Dentistry (SMD), while continuing to serve as associate vice president in the University's Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Morgan assumes the role from Linda Chaudron, M.D., M.S., senior associate dean and URMC vice president for Inclusion and Culture, who has begun a year-long, partial sabbatical to develop plans for a new faculty and staff leadership development function while becoming director of the Paul M. Schyve, M.D. Center for Bioethics. Chaudron has served in a deanship and administrative role for diversity since 2011, and has been acting director of the Schyve Center since November of 2019.

Upon her return, Chaudron will serve as director of a newly formed URMC Center for Gender and Leadership. The Center will help faculty and staff from across URMC and its health network to develop leadership skills to advance their careers.

"With her long passion for gender equity issues, Linda is the ideal person to develop and launch a center to foster leadership," said URMC CEO and School of Medicine and Dentistry Dean Mark B. Taubman, M.D. "As URMC and our health system grow, this kind of profession mentorship and career development are much in demand."

Morgan Returns to Medical Center

Juggling two major roles may seem like a tall order for any leader, but Morgan -- known for her intelligence, approachability, optimism and sense of humor -- takes it in stride. After all, she's returning to familiar terrain. For nearly 20 years, she directed the Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education and Diversity before accepting the University-wide position last November.

While assistant dean at SMD, Morgan worked with fellow deans and faculty leaders to improve the recruitment and retention of students underrepresented in medicine by establishing affinity groups, pipeline programs, and visiting clerkships. She linked SMD students to community engagement opportunities -- creating highly effective programs like the UR Well Medical Student-run Free Clinic, Street Outreach, and Rochester Young Scientist Club.

As SMD's new SAD, Morgan will oversee diversity and inclusion initiatives across all programs within the medical school -- including undergraduate, graduate and graduate medical education. The goal is to foster an anti-racist culture and create a path of opportunity that shepherds underrepresented individuals interested in medicine through early education to undergraduate, medical school, residency/post-doctoral studies to faculty.

"I am thrilled that Adrienne has agreed to take on this role and will launch comprehensive and inclusive action planning," Taubman said. "She's a proven, energetic leader who knows our challenges and is trusted by faculty and learners. And by serving as the link with the University, she ensures that policies, interventions, and approaches are consistent across the enterprise."

As the University's associate vice president, Morgan will continue to work with the Richard Feldman Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, in leading the planning and implementation of URMC-wide programs that foster an anti-racist culture and build workforce diversity across all University faculty and staff.

"I am delighted that Adrienne has accepted this position at the Medical Center. We have a fantastic, strong working relationship and I believe that she is the perfect person to continue the development and implementation of successful equity, social justice and inclusion initiatives that align with wider University efforts," Ramírez Fernández said. "I am also grateful to Mark Taubman's leadership in taking this important step, and I look forward to carrying on our close, productive relationship that benefits the entire institution."

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Summary: Mark Taubman responds to criticisms from Guylda Richard Johnson, M.D., second-year Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident, on the lack of progress in implementing recommended actions presented in 2015 on behalf of under-represented medical students and allies.

Through letters and rallies, URMC's learners, faculty, staff, and community members have shared strong recommendations that have caused us to reexamine fairness and inclusivity within our own organization. The text below is an email response from Mark Taubman, M.D., CEO of the Medical Center and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, sent Thursday to Dr. Guylda Richard Johnson, a second-year resident in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and 2018 graduate of the School of Medicine and Dentistry.

Dr. Guylda Johnson's email on Accountability in Racial Diversity and Inclusion Efforts at the University

Dear Guylda,

Reflecting on our conversation Tuesday, I realize that you deserve a more complete response to your June 5 email than my initial acknowledgement. I'll start by repeating something I said the day your note arrived: Thank you.

That was the sentiment I shared with the entire URMC community after you, Mofi Obadina, and Michele Sainvil called me out at the White Coats for Black Lives protest. In that message I thanked the three of you for speaking truth to power, and it was meant sincerely. I respect your courage. More important, I appreciate—as difficult as it is for me to acknowledge how little we have accomplished since December of 2014—that our institution deserves to be called out for inaction. Personally, I benefitted from reading and hearing your words. Gathering to take a knee in condemnation of George Floyd's killing by white police is a powerful, humbling, but simple act. Translating that emotional moment into meaningful changes for our Medical Center and our community is the harder challenge. I understand that, and I am committed to doing the work.

I also want to thank you for becoming a doctor, and for staying in Rochester during your training. As doctors, we are in a unique position to address the health disparities that are one of racism's most pernicious impacts. Reading through your email carefully, it is clear how long and hard you have been working to end systemic racism—and how valid your frustrations are at the lack of progress URMC has made. It would be understandable if you had decided to leave for another institution that is farther along at promoting diversity and supporting inclusion. I am glad you have stayed, because I believe we can use this moment to act now and get it right this time.

As you know from my response Monday to the demands submitted by Briaunna Minor on behalf of Actions Speak Louder, and similar recommendations from ADSE, we have recently taken some actions. I have acknowledged racism as a public health crisis; committed to removal of Dean Whipple's name from public areas on our campus, and conversion of his former office to multicultural space; reallocated resources to provide two full scholarships to recruit Black students to the incoming medical-school class; directed work to make resource information more readily accessible on web sites; and mandated diversity advocates on leadership search committees.

This week, I met with President Mangelsdorf and the University Office of Equity and Inclusion to begin a review of our institutional structures for overseeing issues of racism and diversity at the Medical Center, and to advocate for increased anti-racism training in the Department of Public Safety. I convened Steve Dewhurst and the associate deans to engage them in mapping concrete strategies for increasing diversity among medical students, residents, and the research enterprise; strengthen social and academic supports for learners who are Black, indigenous, and people of color; and integrate anti-racism education into our curricula. I directed the Medical Center's HR team to review our structures for enhancing diversity in the workforce, and to develop a plan for strengthening it despite our current financial challenges. All of these will be key components of the URMC anti-racism plan being developed under my personal leadership.

You have a right to be skeptical about my promise to "get it right this time." Your email quotes back to me words from 2015, when I said that creating a culture of inclusion is a very high priority, and supported the list of recommended actions we received then from you and other students. I meant those words sincerely. That is why it pains me to agree with your statement that, as of June 1, 2020, not much had changed. As difficult as it is to admit failure, this is a fact I have felt a need to acknowledge—in my May 30 and June 5 emails to the entire URMC community, my remarks at the Black Physicians Network protest last Saturday, and my response Monday to our medical and graduate students.

Science teaches us that failed experiments are opportunities to learn. I have spent time analyzing what went wrong with our previous well-intended plans, and come up with a concise list of factors.

• The 2015 corrective actions were not widely shared across the institution, and our commitment to remediation as an institutional priority was not well communicated
• Our plans lacked specific assignments, timelines, metrics, and accountability
• We created a central office to lead the work, but financial resources remained local within existing program and department budgets
• People of color were not sufficiently involved and empowered at all stages

The first of these shortcomings is being addressed already, in the actions and communications you have seen this month. I intend to address the other three by producing a workable, action-oriented anti-racism plan over the next two months. As a next step, I will compile all the recommendations, demands, and ideas from individuals that have come to me in the past few weeks—along with the unfulfilled past promises from your email. I will organize them by the objectives each is designed to support, and summarize to create a manageable working document—a framework that will help us to set priorities, identify opportunities for quick wins, and agree on metrics that will demonstrate real progress against racism.

I will close with a simple request: Work with me.

As difficult as most of your email and supporting documents were to read, I was heartened by your closing line: It is on you to engage, demonstrate your allyship, and reinvigorate the ailing black community that works alongside you as we strive to be "Ever Better," together.

As Dean and CEO, I have a unique responsibility to lead change, and I accept accountability for achieving results. But I cannot succeed alone, even with the full support of the URMC and University leadership teams. We need input from the Black, indigenous, and people of color our plan must serve.

Guylda, your email details long experience as an anti-racism leader among medical students, residents, and graduate students. In my mind, you are positioned to play a key role in making positive change happen, now, at the Medical Center we both love. I would like to move forward in a spirit of professional collaboration and respectful, constructive dialogue as allies in the fight against racism.

Sincerely,

Mark B. Taubman, M.D.

CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center

Dean, School of Medicine and Dentistry

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Summary: Acknowledgement of failures to implement meaningful change at URMC; Promise to deliver Anti-Racism Action Plan by September 20.

Through letters and rallies, URMC's learners have shared strong recommendations that have caused us to reexamine fairness and inclusivity within our own organization. The text below is an email response from Mark Taubman, M.D., CEO of the Medical Center and Dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, to students who sent lists of proposed actions.

Actions Speak Louder Demands from medical students, residents, and allies

Immediate Action Items from the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering

This is an initial response to the list of demands I received in association with the White Coats for Black Lives protests, and a related list of immediate action items from the Alliance for Diversity in Science and Engineering. I am responding on behalf of myself and Dr. Chaudron, who together with me is working with Medical Center and University leadership to address your concerns.

I will share with you some steps URMC is taking immediately, along with progress at the University level on areas of concern you have raised. Today I cannot provide a detailed plan to address immediately all 40 of the specific changes protestors are demanding. However, I will explain the process through which I intend to lead meaningful, measurable improvements in support for underrepresented medical students, residents, and graduate students, beginning this academic year.

First, I want to acknowledge that our institution has failed on past promises to improve as fast or as fully as learners who are black, indigenous, and people of color have a right to expect. As CEO of the Medical Center and dean of the School of Medicine and Dentistry, I hold myself accountable and understand your frustration at the lack of progress. I am personally committed to increasing my knowledge around anti-Black racism, and to creating a culture of inclusivity at the Medical Center that better supports Black learners. I agree that actions speak louder than words, and commit to driving positive changes as rapidly as possible.

Next, I want to describe the process I believe will best produce improved structures and supports that are urgently required. I will start by explaining that, in the last few weeks, hundreds of individuals have spoken their truths to me. They have offered constructive ideas and advice on how our institution can better serve Black people. Some of those ideas have come in the form of demands from individuals or from groups, including the learners you represent and the Black Physicians Network of Greater Rochester (BPN).

It has been sobering, but also inspiring, to see this unprecedented level of engagement and passion from people across our institution. To channel this energy as productively as possible, we need to sort through the ideas—many of which do not fall under the purview of the Medical Center, and some of which conflict with each other—to develop a comprehensive URMC anti-racism plan with goals, strategies, actions, accountability, and metrics.

To jump-start plan development, last Wednesday I chaired a meeting of URMC's Executive Diversity and Inclusion Committee focused on setting priorities. Over the next two weeks I will gain additional ideas and insight through more than a dozen meetings, including the Black Physicians Network and multiple groups within URMC that advocate for underrepresented medical students, residents, and graduate students. I am also creating an informal advisory group of Black leaders and faculty members at the University to provide further guidance.

My intent is to produce a plan that can be readily endorsed by the groups I am meeting with to provide input. The BPN has suggested Sept. 20 as a reasonable target date for completing the plan; I am working on the timeline now and intend to be ahead of that schedule. I expect all of these groups not only to guide plan development, but to hold me accountable for progress and help the institution stay on track.

Responding more specifically to your demands, let me address each of the broad categories for change you have identified.

Abolition of Public Safety Structures Centered on Policing and Violence. In response to mass shootings and gun violence that have increasingly threatened schools and other public spaces, I supported the decision to arm the Public Safety officers who are responsible for protecting staff members, patients, and the public in our Level 1 trauma center. I also support and will advocate for additional anti-racism training of Public Safety officers.

I should also note that Public Safety is a University department which has no contractual relationship with the Rochester Police Department, and City police (not DPS) have law enforcement jurisdiction over many campus thoroughfares. President Mangelsdorf, in a message sent last Monday to the campus community, added Mercedes Ramírez Fernández—Vice President for Equity and Inclusion—to the University's Public Safety Review Board, and said the board will convene within the next few weeks "to determine ways in which our Department of Public Safety can contribute further to our campus discussions and actions around race."

Support for Underrepresented in Medicine (URM) Students. Saturday I attended a protest organized by the Black Physicians Network, where several speakers noted that the lack of diversity among health professionals and trainees is a national problem. I acknowledged our Medical Center's special responsibility to help lead the Rochester community's transformation, and committed to improving our work and learning environments for black and brown professionals. Strategies for doing that will be a major component of our anti-racism plan, and here are a few specific thoughts related to your demands.

• The academic and research leadership of SMD -- including Vice Dean for Research Stephen Dewhurst, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education Diane Hartmann, Senior Associate Dean for Medical School Education David Lambert, Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs Richard Libby, and Associate Dean for Admissions Flavia Nobay—join me in strongly supporting your goals to increase student diversity across the school, to strengthen academic and social support for underrepresented students, and to integrate anti-racism education into our curricula. As part of our anti-racism plan, they will form committees representing faculty, staff, and students to achieve clear, measurable progress in each of these areas.
• Offering full scholarships to School of Medicine and Dentistry students from underrepresented groups will make Rochester more competitive with other elite schools. As a first step, we have provided the SMD admissions committee two full scholarships to help attract Black medical students who have been offered admission in the upcoming academic year but have not yet committed to Rochester. I have begun discussing ideas with SMD leadership and the URMC advancement team to increase scholarship funding. Additionally, I will work with University leadership to make these scholarships a priority in the Together for Rochester campaign that kicks off July 1, with a fundraising goal of $100 million.
• Under the leadership of Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Mercedes Ramírez Fernández, and Associate Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Adrienne Morgan, the University is revising policies and processes for reporting, investigating, and resolving incidents of bias or discrimination. The new process, to take effect in the near future, will serve all University students and trainees, not just undergraduates. It will make reporting incidents of bias easier, protect those who report against retaliation, and carry clear, consistent consequences for individuals who violate anti-discrimination policies.
• The University Counseling Center is working to provide racially informed counseling to students of color. Three of nine licensed staff professionals identify as African American or Black. The center employs about two dozen trainees each year who provide counseling support to students, and is committed to increasing diversity among its therapists, with a focus on recruiting people who practice from a race-based, trauma-informed framework. All trainees in the counseling center engage in a weekly multicultural seminar, and permanent staff meet monthly to discuss how the UCC can best serve the University's multicultural population.
• I am directing our web services, marketing, and communications teams to identify ways our current web sites can make resource information for underrepresented students more readily accessible, and to include easy access to this information in future site redesigns.
• I agree that the time has come to remove the name of founding Dean George Whipple from public spaces at our Medical Center. This cannot be accomplished immediately, for practical reasons of revising signage and maps, and strategic ones of thinking through how to rename spaces in ways that best advance anti-racism goals. I will seek input from URMC learners as part of the renaming process.
  • Today, the sign that identifies his former office as the George Hoyt Whipple Museum was removed, and I am directing the facilities team to empty the room so that it can be used as a multi-cultural space for students to gather. A committee of students, faculty, and staff will work with our facilities group to determine exactly how this space is used, and to create a plan for permanent displays that celebrate underrepresented medical faculty, staff, and alumni across the medical school and hospital.

Support for URM Faculty, Staff, and Students. Diversity in faculty hiring is a priority that will be addressed as part of the anti-racism plan. The hiring and compensation of healthcare workers is a process managed by the Medical Center's human resources and finance departments, with oversight by the University's HR and finance functions. Improving racial diversity and compensation equity across the institution is a top priority for all these departments, and we will provide more detail about their efforts as part of the plan. A priority I am pushing for is to ensure that search committees for leadership positions include advocates for diversity, and that all committee members for these searches receive mandatory anti-bias training.

I must caution that the COVID-19 crisis, in addition to shining a harsh light on health disparities in our society, has dealt a crippling financial blow to our Medical Center and the University as a whole. This has led to austerity measures that include hiring freezes in most areas, no pay increases for staff in the next fiscal year, and temporary compensation reductions for highly paid employees. We are working hard to restore financial stability, so that we will be able to move forward as quickly as possible to enhance diversity in every part of the work force.

In closing, I will note one demand that has been fully met. Last week, President Mangelsdorf and I both proudly signed the declaration that racism is a public health crisis, sponsored locally by the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group. This is a small step, but I hope a significant demonstration that leadership is not just listening but taking action. We will join you in speaking out against racism and taking actions to create a more inclusive, supportive, and anti-racist culture within our institution. Working together, in a spirit of open dialogue and constructive collaboration, we can and will do better.

Mark B. Taubman, M.D.& CEO, University of Rochester Medical Center

Dean, School of Medicine & Dentistry (SMD)

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URMC Community Unites for White Coats for Black Lives Demonstration

Hundreds of URMC faculty, staff and trainees gathered outside of Strong Memorial Hospital last Friday to take a collective stand—and a knee—against systemic racism and violence against people of color. Participants also specifically called for change at our Medical Center. "[The event's] speakers articulated clearly our institution's failure to fulfill past promises, and the imperative for leadership to move immediately from rhetoric to action in supporting people of color," said URMC CEO Mark Taubman, M.D., in a recent message to the URMC community. "We can and will do better by working together." Missed the demonstration? Watch the video below for highlights from the event.

In a related move, the Medical Center this week joined other leaders in the community to support the Greater Rochester Black Agenda Group's Racism is a Public Health Crisis Declaration. Below is the Medical Center's statement in support of the declaration.