Pipeline Pathways in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practices in Northwestern’s Department of Radiology
DEI Update | In Conversation with Senta Berggruen, MD, Vice Chair for Education and Diversity
Since establishing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council in the Department of Radiology in 2020, Dr. Senta Berggruen, Vice Chair of Education and Diversity, has worked to cultivate inclusivity in a number of ways from admissions and hiring to hands-on community involvement. This year, she was awarded the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) inaugural Achievement Award for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. SAR is the premiere society for abdominal imagers, and this award is made possible by the SAR DEI committee in order to recognize outstanding efforts as well as to “develop a diverse and inclusive Society,” according to their mission statement. “This award belongs to our department,” Berggruen said, “because of all the support I get from my colleagues.” Special thanks are extended to Dr. James Carr, Department Chair, who has supported these efforts from inception, as well as Dr. Syed Hussaini and Dr. Imo Uko, two former residents who were extremely active in starting department-wide conversations and planning events. She also gave a shoutout to the department’s Women in Radiology group, which continues to host quarterly events. Dr. Berggruen has also presented at a plenary session at the SAR annual conference February 23 – March 3, 2023. “Including this as a plenary session at the conference is exciting to me,” Berggruen said. “Everyone is in the same room, focused on pipeline pathway programming, intentional recruitment, and mentorship. These conversations place the limelight on diversity, inclusivity in abdominal imaging. This plenary session denotes a meaningful commitment to DEI.” Beyond the focus on DEI, this session was also a chance for our department to get feedback and opinions from leaders across the country – a process of “planting and sharing seeds,” as Berggruen called it. She also underscored the importance of having a diverse workforce in healthcare. “It’s better for the community to see like-minded people caring for them.” With this in mind, Berggruen sees DEI as “an opportunity to mentor trainees and faculty to think about community engagement. This can potentially attract people into all radiology careers.” When asked what Northwestern’s Department of Radiology has prioritized in DEI efforts in recent years, Berggruen emphasizes the possibilities that DEI opens up. “If you want to recruit people, you want to keep people. Mentoring does that.” As Vice Chair of Education, Berggruen is also invested in mentoring junior faculty and trainees. “In terms of recruitment, selection committees always have a question about candidates’ understanding of DEI and how they can advance our department’s mission.”
The long-term goal of the DEI Council and the Department of Radiology is to create “pipeline pathways” to careers in radiology. “Radiology is such a great field,” Berggruen said. “There are so many subspecialties. You can go into private practice or do research. And there are so many careers as technicians and sonographers, for example.” Other efforts by the DEI Council include community engagement on a number of levels. The Council partners with the local non- profit organization Horizons for Youth sponsoring students. The department also hosts two high school career day events in May and June. Local high school students are given information about medical school and various radiology allied health professional school along with a close-up look at radiology work including cardiac imaging, ultrasound, research and hospital staff positions. The department also funds two summer internships in radiology research mentored by Drs. Ryan Avery, Bob Lewandowski, and Michael Markl. The NM summer internship program continues to recruit up to three summer interns from underrepresented groups in medicine to shadow clinicians and complete a research project. This year, the department has launched a pilot project hosting three college students to spend all day in the radiology department observing the work of physicians and clinical staff. In just a couple of years, this is an astounding amount of work. To sum up this achievement, Berggruen said, “Our mission is to introduce radiology to more people, to expose people to careers in radiology, and to increase diversity and inclusivity by way of opening up opportunities.”
High school students from Horizons For Youth learn about CT Imaging in July 2023
The Read | Volume 6 | Page 3
Department of Radiology
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