From the Desk of Diversity
Northwestern's Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter
March 2015 - Women's Herstory Month
- Celebrating Women's History and Why It Matters
- Girls in Action
- Words to Live By
- Did You Know?
- University Community Member Spotlight
- Find a Mentor - Be a Mentor
- Links to Explore
- Days to Remember
- Topics in Diversity
- Community Engagement
- Upcoming Events
- Get Involved
- Learning & Training Opportunities
- Apply for a Scholarship
Celebrating Women's History and Why It Matters
Shonda Rhimes, award winning television writer for Grey's Anatomy and Scandal says, "I believe everyone should get to see themselves reflected on TV." Generations of young girls might not have seen reflections of themselves in the media, the radio, or in stories of success. This is only addressing visible identifiers. When we do not celebrate a multicultural story of women, we do not adequately lift up all young women in a way that best commends our collective mothers and grandmothers, and we never even approach the invisible identities of intersectionality.
When we take a look at what happens in the un-glamored world outside of American media, things for women become even more disheartening. Women of the world experience globally systemic inequities. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals set a 2015 goal for the elimination of gender disparity. This goal has not been actualized. The consistent devaluing of women can be evidenced in wage gap disparities, lessened access to education, acts of violence committed by men, and the responsibility of bearing the burden of poverty, food insecurity, and HIV in the world. In the global arena, AIDS related illnesses are the primary cause of death among women who are still of childbearing age. These HIV infections are largely a result of women's disempowerment in non-consensual sex and lack of congress over their own reproductive rights including condom use.
It is especially important for men to honor the experiences of women. We are then making a statement to the women and girls of the world that we celebrate them, that we pay tribute to those who came before them, and will also laud their own unique stories.
Women's history is important to everyone. The story is still unfolding, and we simply must honor women whose work makes it easier for the next woman to see herself reflected in the possibility of a more equalized society where she is safe and is afforded the same dignity and opportunity as every man she knows.
Submitted by Beau Foshee, wfoshee@nwhealth.edu
Girls in Action
I’ve given tours to many individuals and groups in my 2+ years here at Northwestern. These experiences have ranged from observations, to new student orientations, and hosting nursing students from the University of Minnesota or at our Discovery Day. But our February tours were a little different.
On the tour were girls in 9th – 12th grade from Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis. Henry is a very diverse high school. In fact, 88% of the student body is from communities of color, and their diversity was reflected in the students who toured with Girls in Action. We also gave tours to North High School students participating in the Girls in Action program. North has a 95% graduation rate. Generally, students who attend Minneapolis Public Schools come from a community that speaks over 67 languages.
The groups heard brief presentations about the various modalities and degrees we offer. At first the girls seemed to just be happy to be missing school on a Friday morning (who would blame them!). As we spent time hearing about each modality, I could see some of them come alive and begin to ask engaging questions.
It was exciting because I could tell that most of the girls had little exposure to these types of health and healing professions. I enjoyed watching their curiosity grow as the tour and presentations continued. Many were considering for the first time the possibility of going to college for acupuncture, massage or chiropractic!
Last year I attended the Girls in Action I AM luncheon along with 7 others from Northwestern. We learned about the amazing program which began here in the Twin Cities high schools, which now extends internationally into Guatemala. Girls in Action is a curriculum-based program that strives to decrease and prevent violence among urban high school girls while positively reengaging them in academics and leadership. How wonderful it is that Northwestern and Girls in Action are working together to encourage students to attend college.
Our work with them has been both exciting and rewarding.
Kim Doyle, T7 CAOM, kdoyle@nwhealth.edu
Words to Live By
--- Diana Ross
Did You Know?
University Community Member Spotlight
Sara Cooper is a fantastic example of an empowered leader, single mother, and aware citizen. Sara has two children. Her path has shown them both that women can be successful and powerful and that her value is not tied to relating with any man. She has served Cooper's Foods, a local, privately owned group of food purveyors, for more than 15 years. Her roles have been varied and have included a position as President and CEO.
Sara has extensive volunteer experience and remains very active in civic groups that relate to the development of her children. Her international ventures in Russia, Norway, Israel, Japan, and France have polished her outlook on women's experiences in a more global context, and her family hosted international exchange students for more than a decade. She habitually signs on for long term commitments to quality work.
Sara, we are proud to call you colleague and look forward to growing with you in a more equitable world for girls and women.
Find a Mentor - Be a Mentor
The Mentorship Program is a peer mentoring student organization that was created by a group of acupuncture students for the purposes of creating a sense of community and opportunity to network within the school. The coordinators of the program match two or more people together and encourage them to have consistent contact throughout the trimester and on. Mentors and mentees are encouraged to have weekly meetings to support each other. Mentees can discuss questions and concerns that come up as a they progress in their programs. The program is also designed to give more advanced students the opportunity to share any helpful tidbits and hints they have picked up during their time in school with incoming students.
The Mentorship Program has grown into a strong and stable support system for the students involved, both for mentors and mentees. The Mentorship Program, however, is not a tutoring program. Mentees are encouraged to ask their mentors how to get connected with a tutor for additional academic support.
We strive to connect students based on a variety of important factors with the goal of sharing personal and academic experience, creating friendships, and serving as a resource for our students. It is our hope to eventually be able to match up pairs in different programs and get alumni involvement. Ultimately, our goal is to promote networking among the students and create a sense of community within the university.
Anyone can participate, including you! Interested parties in this program should contact the Mentoring Program Club president, Angela Current, at acurrent@nwhealth.edu or email diversitymentoring@nwhealth.edu.
Days to Remember
- March 1-31 Women's History Month, National Irish American Heritage Month
- March 3 United States' National Anthem Day
- March 4-5: Purim
- March 6 National Employee Appreciation Day
- March 8 International Women's Day and Daylight Savings Time
- March 13 National Good Samaritan Day
- March 17 St. Patrick's Day
- March 20 National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
- March 20-21 Baha'i new Year
- March 21 Hindu New Year
- March 21 Ostara/Mabon and Spring (Vernal) Equinox
- March 29 Palm Sunday
- March 30 National Doctor's Day
Topics in Diversity: Responding for Change
A female patient enters your clinic for a routine wellness visit, but this time you notice something different. Her demeanor has shifted from open and friendly, to reserved and timid. Later you note some bruising, accompanied by tenderness. When asked about any recent trauma or injury, your patient immediately denies anything to be wrong and abruptly exits your clinic. What would you do?
A recent call to action has been issued to healthcare providers to respond to violence against women. In 2013, the World Health Organization named this issue a health priority, and while most are aware of its severity, ample training and implementation of protocol are lacking in most professional atmospheres (1). Low and middle-income countries often contain systemic barriers which prevent any action from being taken; cultural beliefs also help lay the foundation for behavioral barriers that allow violence against women to go unnoticed.
So how can we as healthcare professionals take a stand against this? There are several ways the healthcare system can be strengthened in this area. One example being coordination between providers and dense referral networks; these are two components that will be key in implementing more effective protocols (2). Certified nurse practitioner, Diane Judge, declares that systems will need to be country specific, addressing the various roadblocks that may be presented by certain cultures. She also outlines several steps* that we can take to strengthen our presence on this issue. These include demonstrating leadership, investing in prevention, and helping with development of laws and policies to be used in communities as well as healthcare settings. When proper education on addressing violence and working with cultural guidelines is incorporated into workplace training, healthcare providers will have the tools to make a significant difference. It is up to us to utilize the tools in order to advocate for women and create positive change.
*More information on ways to implement prevention programming can be found here.
References:
1. García-Moreno C et al. The health-systems response to violence against women. Lancet 2014 Nov 21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61837-7. Accessed Jan 15 2015.
2. Judge DE. A call to global action to prevent violence against women and girls. NEJM 2014. http://www.jwatch.org/na36550/2014/12/18/call-global-action-prevent-violence-against-women-and?query=etoc_jwwomen. Accessed Jan 13 2015.
Submitted by Celia Peters, cpeters@nwhealth.edu
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK)
If you see something, say something.
Please email Sara Cooper, scooper@nwhealth.edu, to nominate someone and make their day.
Community Engagement
The “We Are Hmong Minnesota” Exhibit will be at the Minnesota History Center from March 7-Nov. 29, 2015. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Hmong migration to Minnesota.
A Forum on Workplace Inclusion will be hosted March 17-19 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. If you are interested in attending or volunteering at this event, you can find more information here.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion is looking for health care shadowing opportunities with professionals who work with populations that have documented health care disparities.
For all outreach events, please share your interest and opportunities with diversity@nwhealth.edu.
Submitted by Alejandra Dashe, adashe@nwhealth.edu
Upcoming Events
Menstrual Products Drive
- Tampons
- Pads
- Pantyliners
- Underwear
We will be collecting these items all March long. Please drop off your items at the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, room 215H.
This event is sponsored by JEDI, GSA, and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion
Sunday, Mar 1, 2015, 08:00 AM
Northwestern Health Sciences University, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
Feed 'Em and Treat 'Em Event
A great volunteer opportunity to support our military!
Northwestern hosted an event with the James Balentine VFW Post 246-Uptown on March 5th. KARE 11 covered the story.
If you are interested in volunteering for future events contact Angela Thomsen, athomsen@nwhealth.edu
Thursday, Mar 5, 2015, 06:00 PM
2916 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408, United States
In Honor of International Women’s Day: Taking a Stand against Gender-Based Violence
- Senator Sandy Pappas, President, Minnesota Senate
- Safia Kahn Lovett, Program Manager, Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women
- Dr. Ellen J. Kennedy, Executive Director, World Without Genocide
Learn more here or contact admin@worldwithoutgenocide.org or 651-695-7621
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2015, 07:00 PM
The Woman’s Club of Minneapolis, 410 Oak Grove Street, Minneapolis, MN 55403
Get Involved with Diversity & Inclusion
- Take training! See "Learning and Training Opportunities" below. Most trainings are free or low cost and can get you CEUs.
- Take the Dignity & Respect pledge.
- Join one of our cultural clubs.
- Want to write for From the Desk of Diversity? Book Club book suggestion? Engaging diversity activity idea? Contact Dr. Dashe, Beau Foshee, or Celia Peters.
Learning & Training Opportunities
- A Physician's Practical Guide to Culturally Competent Care
- Health Resources and Services Administration: Effective Communication Tools for Healthcare Professionals 100
- Immigrant and Refugee Health Online Course by the U of M Medical School Department of Global Health (and other opportunities)
- YWCA of Minneapolis Racial Justice Workshops & Events
- Rainbow Health Initiative Trainings & Presentations
- Minnesota AIDS Project
Office of Diversity & Inclusion
Email: diversity@nwhealth.edu
Website: http://nwhealth.edu/diversity/
Location: Northwestern Health Sciences, West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN, United States
Phone: 952-888-4777 235
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Northwestern-Diversity-Inclusion/678001138890536
Twitter: @NWHSU_Diversity
Senior Editor
Director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
Assistant Professor, College of Undergraduate Health Sciences
Email: adashe@nwhealth.edu
Website: http://www.nwhealth.edu/undergraduate-studies/faculty-directory/estrindashealejandra/
Editor
Student, College of Chiropractic
Email: wfoshee@nwhealth.edu
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/beau-foshee/a/58b/493
Assistant Editor
Student, College of Chiropractic
Diversity Scholar
Email: cpeters@nwhealth.edu
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/celia-peters/9b/b28/b74