Electronic Communications: Websites - Gold
Best in Show Finalist
VCU School of Medicine Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Microsite
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is an urban comprehensive academic medical center located in the heart of downtown Richmond, Virginia. We pride ourselves on being an active member of our community; however, there have been times in our history when we have fallen short of this goal and damaged the trust the community placed in us. Following the demonstrations for social justice in the summer of 2020, it was clear that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) needed to be reinvigorated as a top priority for our School of Medicine. That summer, the VCU School of Medicine held a series of listening sessions and other discussions and dialogues with internal and external stakeholders to inform a long-term DEI action plan. Out of a need to promote continuous dialogue to ensure community involvement and engagement in the process, we built a DEI microsite devoted to advancing the VCU School of Medicine’s commitment to fostering a welcoming community that supports and values people of all cultural backgrounds and life experiences and making our medical school a more diverse and representative place to work and train.
What was the most impactful part of your award-winning entry?
Our microsite quickly became a hub for DEI-related information. From August 2020 to November 2021, our site had 11,398 page views with 4,267 unique visitors spending an average of 2:11 minutes on the site.
What is one thing you learned from this experience?
Although this team generally works on broad communications, our work has a personal impact. One current third-year medical student reported that a prospective applicant who had “taken a look at VCU” saw the OUTlist, an online directory of LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff, on our DEI site and now is giving our School of Medicine serious consideration.
Contact: Amber Logan