Policies and procedures

The Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine (SOM) is committed to encouraging diversity in medical education. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), reporting to the Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, is the office established at the medical school dedicated to increasing and maintaining diversity for students, faculty, and staff. The Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who reports to the Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, oversees a staff which supports the recruitment and retention efforts of those underrepresented in medicine. This office shall remain resourced by the SOM to meet the school's needs as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Resourcing of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will include the following minimal staffing positions:

1. Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
2. Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
3. Academic Support Specialist
4. University Counselor
5. Outreach Coordinator
6. Administrative Assistant

The Diversity Advisory Council to the dean provides primary guidance to set policy and goals to achieve the mission of the SOM with regards to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This council is chaired by the Vice Dean of Diversity and Community Affairs. Recommendations for participation on this council are made by the Vice Dean with final appointment to the council by the Dean of the medical school. Meetings will be held quarterly, unless otherwise deemed necessary. All decisions made by this council must reflect the mission of the university as a whole as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. All formal policies must be approved by the dean. The Diversity Advisory Council shall be maintained as a committee at the SOM, chaired by the Vice Dean of Diversity, reporting directly to the dean of the medical school.
 

Diversity Categories Policy

The following diversity categories have been identified by Wayne State University School of Medicine to guide recruitment and retention activities for medical students, faculty, and senior administrative staff. The identified racial and ethnic categories align with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) definition of underrepresented in medicine. Underrepresented in medicine refers to those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.

  • African-American/Black
  • Hispanic/Latino
  • Native Americans (that is, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians)
  • Female
  • Low Socioeconomic Status (for medical students only)
     

Graduate Programs

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion works in collaboration with the Office of Graduate Programs to monitor and jointly provide outreach, marketing, and recruitment to increase diversity in its Master's and Ph.D. level graduate students in the SOM.
 

Post Baccalaureate Program

This WSU SOM funded non-degree-granting program was designed to encourage diversity among the healthcare profession, increase the number of underrepresented physicians from disadvantaged backgrounds, and provide an opportunity for qualified, lower socioeconomic status (SES) students seeking admission to SOM. Eligibility for the Premedical Post Baccalaureate Program is limited to:

1. Michigan residents
2. First generation college graduates
3. Completion of the Bachelor's Degree by June of the application year
4. Minimum MCAT score of 491
5. Completion of medical school prerequisites
6. Completion of the Post Baccalaureate Program application

Students meeting the above criteria are encouraged to submit an electronic application, which is available in March annually. A maximum of 25 students will be interviewed each year from the applicant pool, with a final maximum selection of 16 students. Interviews will be conducted by the Post Baccalaureate Admissions Committee, which consists of select physicians, faculty, and ODI staff. The Post Baccalaureate Admissions Committee is chaired by the Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will monitor and assess student performance for the Post Baccalaureate Program. Any student who performs below the minimum requirement of 70% in any class will be referred to the Post Baccalaureate Policy Committee for review and final determination regarding program participation. The Post Baccalaureate Policy Committee is the body that makes final decisions concerning the Post Baccalaureate Program. This committee consists of the Vice Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Vice Dean of Medical Education, and the Associate Dean of Admissions.

Hiring policies and procedures

For more information, visit the SOM Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development or the WSU Human Resources division


Faculty/Staff Search Committee Policy

  • Prior to any faculty search in either the Basic Science or Clinical Departments a budget for the position will require approval by the Department Chair and the Dean.
  • The Vice Deans of the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and their Senior Directors will meet on an annual basis with all of the Basic and Clinical Department chairs to review the recruitment and hiring process that includes complying with the University OEO office requirements. The Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion are committed to ensuring that all searches for payroll faculty must conform to the SOM's/University's hiring process and Diversity goals.
  • The SOM/University hiring process guidelines are posted on the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion website. The guidelines provide ongoing instruction for Department Administrators and Chairs on the steps necessary to hire faculty from identification of the need to hire to finalizing the offer including casting a wide net to produce the broadest applicant pool possible.
  • The Office of Faculty Affairs and Office of Diversity and Inclusion has consulted with the Office of Equal Opportunity which is developing a video seminar on recruitment that will be available to all faculty and search committee members through the Office of Faculty Affairs website. All search committee members will be required to complete the module. In the interim, an e-learning seminar on the AAMC website: "What You Don't Know: The Science of Unconscious Bias and What to do about it in the Search and Recruitment Process" will be utilized for all Search Committee members, including faculty and staff. Module selection and/or video content may vary over time.
  • The Office of Faculty Affairs and The Office of Diversity and Inclusion are exploring other training sessions for unconscious bias and diversity recruitment including the "Unconscious Bias Train-the-Trainer Program" through Cook Ross to add to the expertise to which the Search Committees can avail themselves to. It will be required that all search committee members and participating staff would complete this training. Training selection, module selection and/or video content may vary over time.
  • Once the Budget is established and approved by Chair and the Dean for a faculty hire, a search committee will be appointed by the Chair. In addition to Chair appointed search committee members, trained search committee WSUSOM faculty/staff, including a person from HR, Diversity, and faculty member with search committee training will also be appointed to each WSUSOM search committee through the Office of Faculty Affairs.
  • A representative of the Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will attend Search Committee meetings for senior and/or tenure track faculty recruitments.
  • All trained Search Committee members, including faculty and staff will have dedicated 5% time devoted to SOM Search Committee work. The Department Hiring Procedures for Faculty Hiring (which is posted on Office of Faculty Affairs website) set forth the process for hiring new faculty. To ensure that all searches for payroll faculty are conducted so as to meet the University's Diversity goals, the following additional steps will be required as part of constituting a Search Committee.
     

Prior to serving on a search committee, all members are required to complete a prescribed module on "unconscious bias and what to do about it in the hiring process." This will entail viewing a video (contents may vary over time) and may include additional exercises as determined by the Office of Faculty Affairs & the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in consultation with University Human Resources personnel.

In addition to search committee members designated by the department chair, all selection committees must include at least (a) one member from University Human Resources, (b) one member from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and (c) one faculty member with Search Committee experience. These individuals will be appointed through the Office of Faculty Affairs.