VUMC's Office of Health Equity: Uniting as a Community for a Common Good

With COVID-19 illustrating stark health inequities for racial and ethnic minorities, and with the recent deaths of unarmed Black Americans by police exposing the devastating effects of racial bias and systemic racism, the work of the VUMC Office of Health Equity (OHE) has never been more vital.

Focusing on education, community and population health, and research, the OHE coordinates and catalyzes health equity initiatives across VUMC and in the larger community. Here are the team’s recent priorities:

• Highlighting health inequities. Public health officials nationwide are reporting that the African-American population is facing worse health outcomes and dying at a disproportionate rate from the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are structural, political, social and cultural disparities that have existed for a long time that make these populations more vulnerable,” Consuelo H. Wilkins, MD, MSCI, Vice President for Health Equity at VUMC, told the Nashville Post. “In a pandemic, we're going to see those disparities perhaps even more pronounced.”

Dr. Wilkins and her team have worked for many years to understand and address the root causes of health inequities through interventions focused on education, community health and research. They regularly present their research on how structural racism creates and perpetuates such health inequities to spur change among the VUMC community and beyond. On June 4, Dr. Wilkins led a panel discussion on “Racism, Health and Healthcare: Where Do We Go From Here?” You can listen to the recording here and view the slides here.

• Building awareness of anti-racism resources. As VUMC President and CEO Dr. Jeff Balser emphasized in a Juneteenth message to employees, “Eliminating racism falls on the shoulders of each and every one of us … With the senseless killing of George Floyd* in Minneapolis, like so many other Black women and men before him, there is a growing awareness—and focus—on these tragic injustices.” At this pivotal moment in history, the OHE is exploring ways to reduce bias, address systemic racism, and contribute to racial justice and equity. OHE recently launched an Anti-Racism Hub featuring an Anti-Racism Resource Guide with regularly updated recommendations on articles, podcasts, videos, books, films and TV series to help deepen understanding of the roots of injustice and inequity.

At a June 25 VUMC Department of Medicine Grand Rounds, Dr. Wilkins joined community partners Tennessee Rep. Harold Love Jr. and Tené Hamilton Franklin, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Health Leads, to discuss how structural racism affects individuals’ health and healthcare in general. John S. Sergent, MD, MACP, MACR, VUMC Professor of Medicine, also talked about efforts to desegregate Vanderbilt University. A video recording of the presentation is available here.

OHE welcomes innovative ideas that advance health equity across VUMC. Use this form to submit an idea for review.