We understand the importance of everyone's uniqueness and believe that each person’s diversity brings value to our residency family.
We believe that increased diversity fosters unique perspectives, which enable us to provide high quality, innovative care to our patients in an increasingly diverse nation. At our continuity and ambulatory clinic site our pediatric residents care for a diverse patient population that includes:
- 67% of patients identify as Latinx/Hispanic
- 25% as African American/Black
- Limited English Proficient patients account for 44%
- Over 90% of patients have Medicaid.
We cultivate the next generation of child health leaders in an inclusive, safe and respectful environment through a variety of experiences encompassing the breadth of pediatrics. Our mission is to train competent and compassionate pediatricians who provide culturally effective care and respond effectively to child health inequities that impact children, their families and communities.
The Department of Pediatrics has a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee that is committed to developing and implementing DEI initiatives in support of:
- Fostering a culture of inclusion in which highly qualified and diverse students, residents, faculty and staff experience a genuine sense of belonging, engagement and achievement within the Wake Forest Pediatrics Department
- Attracting, recruiting and retaining a diverse team who positively impacts how we teach, learn, advocate for and serve increasingly more diverse patients and the community.
- Achieving equity in health outcomes for all children, families and communities through outstanding clinical care, advances in research, community engagement, and excellence in education.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Faculty
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Kimberly Montez, MD, MPH, FAAP Co-Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (Research) “As a Chicana faculty member who speaks Spanish, I recognize firsthand the positive impact diversity has on health care quality and patient satisfaction/engagement. I am committed to promoting racial, ethnic, gender, religious and socioeconomic diversity within pediatrics. As the Associated Director in Pediatrics for the Integrating Special Populations at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, I work to ensure special and vulnerable populations are represented in research.” |
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Elimarie Caballero Quinones, Psy.D. Co-Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (Community Outreach) “As a Latina woman born and raised in Puerto Rico who moved to the US as an adult, I experienced firsthand the cultural shock and discrimination due to my ethnicity. I am familiar with the impact of racial inequity and the lack of access to healthcare services that minorities face. My commitment as a bilingual clinical psychologist and my role within the DEI community outreach program is to help bridge the communication gaps that exist between our patients/community and healthcare services in our department.” |
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Cherece Grier, MD, FAAP Co-Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (Residency) “I grew up in Fayetteville, NC in a Black household and predominantly Black neighborhood. My upbringing was similar to some of our patients that live in Winston East, so I saw firsthand the food deserts, the mistrust of the medical system and racial disparities that have affected the healthcare of my family and my community. In my role with the Residency Program I hope to help recruit more residents that resemble the community we serve so we can help decrease the troubling health disparities in our community.“ |
More Resources
- The Kennedy Hopkins Scholars Mentor Program, named for Dr. Charlie Kennedy and Dr. Larry Hopkins, was founded in 2018 at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist as a mechanism of professional and personal support, empowerment and inclusion of our underrepresented minority residents and fellows.
- The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity (MACHE) supports the learning health care system in advancing health equity and population health research by aligning scientific discoveries with best practices.
- The Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity supports the educational mission of Wake Forest University School of Medicine by promoting an environment of excellence and by recruiting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds.
- Diversity-Focused Student Groups
- Student National Medical Association (SNMA)
- Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA)
- Sexual Health Awareness Group (SHAG)
- Mentoring the Pipeline
- Gay Straight Alliance (GSA)
- Cultural Awareness Council
- WF Jewish Medical Student Group
- Christian Medical and Dental Associates
- Medical Students For Choice
- Safe Zone in Medicine Training helps individuals deepen their understanding of LGBTQ+ identities and healthcare-related issues. It builds confidence in caring for patients, mentoring students and communicating with colleagues from the LGBTQ+ community, while fostering reflection on topics such as inclusion, discrimination and heteronormative privilege.
- Wake Active Bystander Training helps individuals interrupt and appropriately respond to certain situations that involve racism, bias or discrimination in order to create an inclusive environment.
- Affinity Groups encompass staff, providers, faculty and learners linked by a common identity or experience. These groups play an important role at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist by helping to cultivate an inclusive environment where all feel valued and all voices are heard.