Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The University of Michigan Department of Neurosurgery is committed to leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion. This commitment helps shape how we care for our patients, perform groundbreaking research, and recruit and educate tomorrow’s neurosurgical leaders. As a Department, we uphold the Core Values of the University of Michigan Medical Center, and inherent in these values is the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The core values are:
- Caring - We will treat everyone with dignity, kindness, and respect, promoting the well-being of self and others.
- Integrity - We will adhere to the highest ethical standards, demonstrating courage, truth, and transparency in our words and actions.
- Innovation - We will promote a culture of creativity, flexibility, and curiosity that inspires new ideas and ways of thinking, behaving, and improving the world.
- Inclusion - We will foster an environment where every individual has a sense of belonging, a voice that is heard, and the opportunity to achieve and thrive.
- Teamwork - We will work together with a shared purpose rooted in equity and fairness where diversity is celebrated, respected, and valued.
A Strong Legacy
Our department has a long history of leadership in these areas. Some notable past members of the department include Latunde Odeku – the first African-American neurosurgeon trained in the United States and Africa’s first neurosurgeon, who completed his neurosurgical residency at U-M from 1954-1960 – as well as early female neurosurgery leaders such as Elizabeth Crosby (for whom our Crosby Neurosurgical Laboratories are named) – who was the first woman to be promoted to full professor at the University of Michigan Medical School in 1936 – and Joan Venes, a founding member of the American Society of Pediatric Neurosurgery, who became U-M’s first full-time pediatric neurosurgeon 1983.
Notably, our current department chair is Karin Muraszko, who became the first female chair of an academic neurosurgery department in the U.S. in 2005.
A Committed Future
Our department is proud to have a strong legacy of diversity, equity, and inclusion and is steadfastly committed to continuously building upon this legacy as we move forward into the future.
Current diversity-related initiatives and policies in the department include but are not limited to:
- Diversity and Inclusion Committee
- Neurosurgery Resident Ombudspeople, who are selected by their resident peers
- Commitment to gender equity
- Commitment to a supportive environment for residents with children
- Support for residents who are nursing mothers
- The UM Department of Neurosurgery enacted the “Wellness of Lactating Neurosurgical Residents” Policy in August 2018 in order to support the wellness of lactating surgical residents and to protect the health and wellbeing of our diverse resident group.
- Parental Leave Policy
- The University of Michigan’s parental leave policy enables residents to take six consecutive weeks of paid time off to bond with a newborn, newly adopted, or newly fostered child, or minor for whom legal guardianship has been newly appointed.
- Annual participation at SiMfest during the Student National Medical Association annual meeting
Our department is fortunate to be part of an institution that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provides many valuable resources and opportunities to enhance our efforts in these areas.
The Office for Health Equity and Inclusion at Michigan Medicine develops mechanisms for inclusion, diversity and cultural sensitivity among faculty, students and staff. OHEI advances clinical care for under-served patient populations through research and education. OHEI's goal is to transform health care and ensure health care equity.
Review the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion’s 2018 Annual Report.
Learn about OHEI’s Annual DEI Summit.
Other valuable DEI resources include:
