| Summary: | Problem: Innovations within the medical education system often come from administration and leadership, in the traditional top-down approach to preparing students for the actualities of medical practice. There is a dearth of literature showing the power of students to design and advance innovations in this same arena. As incoming classes of students are increasingly more diverse, student efforts for diversity and inclusion initiatives must be explored as avenues to effect positive change within the system.
Approach: Medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (UofSC SOM Greenville) formed the committee known as Student Advocates for Diversity and Inclusion (SADI) in Fall 2017, with the goals of enhancing the curriculum, increasing the visibility of diverse peoples within the medical school and the healthcare system, and supporting the experience of these peoples.
Outcomes: The report herein describes the formation of the Student Advocates for Diversity and Inclusion and its initial steps, including the modification of curricular practices and the development of extracurricular programs.
Conclusion: SADI may serve as one example of the power of students to transform medical education. Other students and schools can use the committee and its successes and challenges to implement similar programs at their respective institutions, with the goal of achieving diversity and inclusion more broadly across the medical education system.
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