Building a Community-Centered Workforce
Serving diverse communities requires a culturally competent workforce. AHS’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion supports care delivery that eliminates health disparities and fosters a sense of belonging among patients and providers alike.
As a teaching institution, AHS places great value on workforce development; this is a strength of the health system and is central to its mission: Caring, Healing, Teaching, Serving All. AHS strives to build and nurture a diverse, community-centered workforce committed to eliminating health disparities and promoting health and well-being for all. At AHS workforce development ranges from career exposure and career development programs for youth and young adults who are from the communities AHS serves; to clinical residency and fellowship programs; to ongoing professional development of its staff and providers.
“HEAL gave me a lot of tools that will help me not only now but also in the future, because I’m able to look at what I want to do and find what it will take to get there.”
JENNIFER FONG | HEAL INTERN, STUDENT AT OAKLAND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL
HealthPATH
Through internships and other work-based learning experiences, HealthPATH exposes youth and young adults to career opportunities in the healthcare field while also promoting academic excellence and teaching skills for life success. HealthPATH’s ultimate goal is to cultivate a pipeline of diverse and culturally competent healthcare workers who will become the future workforce of AHS and other safety-net providers. Partnering with public schools and community-based organizations, HealthPATH serves over 500 students from middle school to college age each year. The majority is BIPOC—Black, Indigenous, and other people of color—students who live in the economically disadvantaged communities served by AHS. HealthPATH is unique in that it offers hands-on training to individuals who have been historically excluded from similar opportunities. For example, the Health Excellence and Academic Leadership (HEAL) program, HealthPATH’s signature program, has no minimum GPA requirements and targets BIPOC youth who face barriers to access to these opportunities.
“The lack of educational and career opportunities for low-income youth of color perpetuates economic disparities and leads to deepening health disparities. Our programs support educational attainment and career success which leads to good jobs, and ultimately leads to increased economic security.”
Jessica Pitt
Executive Director of HealthPATH
Program Impact
Improved academic performance
Increased graduation rates
Higher likelihood of post-secondary education
Increased number of clinicians who deliver care with cultural humility
“Physicians must have a more patient and community-centered approach and deliver care that advances women’s health equity and improves health outcomes for vulnerable populations. We are excited to train the next generation of leaders in women’s health equity and reproductive justice who will deliver care that improves health outcomes and fosters systemic change to advance health equity.”
Kerry-Ann Kelly, MD, MPH
Director, Women’s Reproductive Health Equity Fellowship
Clinical Training and Research
AHS is a nationally recognized teaching institution and is committed to fostering a diverse workforce, addressing patients’ needs for culturally attuned and community-centered care, and continually evolving and innovating its training to meet these needs. An example is the Women’s Reproductive Health Equity Fellowship, which is training the next generation of physician leaders through mentored research, academic training, and clinical work. The fellowship was established in 2019 to study health inequities and healthcare disparities within obstetrics and gynecology. Fellows translate academic concepts into clinical practice through rigorous scientific research; receive training on cultural humility and community-based participatory research; and magnify their impact by teaching others—medical students, residents, and staff—about best practices to improve patient outcomes, particularly in a safety-net hospital.
“Physicians must have a more patient and community-centered approach and deliver care that advances women’s health equity and improves health outcomes for vulnerable populations. We are excited to train the next generation of leaders in women’s health equity and reproductive justice who will deliver care that improves health outcomes and fosters systemic change to advance health equity.”
Kerry-Ann Kelly, MD, MPH
Director, Women’s Reproductive Health Equity Fellowship
Program Impact
Improved outcomes and satisfaction with care
Increased understanding among providers of the impact of disparities on health
Increased knowledge and skills to support patients in overcoming disparities
Increased number of clinicians who deliver care with cultural humility
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