Our residents work to enhance our accountability to our local and global community through sustained and informed engagement.
Opportunities for involvement
Michigan Advocacy Group
A resident-led initiative focused on addressing health disparities, lobbying for pediatric public policy issues, and advocating for children throughout the state of Michigan. The mission is to educate all residents on the needs of our patient population, advocate for all children in the political arena, and promote local advocacy and volunteer opportunities. Recent activities have included organizing noon conferences on dermatologic diagnosis/management in skin of color, working with pipeline programs, voter registration efforts, creating a bank of anti-bias resources for the outpatient setting, and adding a sustainable service-learning requirement to our longitudinal advocacy curriculum.
Pediatricians for Black Lives
Pediatricians for Black Lives is a group of resident and faculty allies that has come together with the goal of making sustainable anti-racist change at the University of Michigan, with the overarching goals of support of current Black and URM medical students, faculty, and employees, resident recruitment and education, both reflecting a commitment to anti-racist practices, and sustained, informed community engagement.
Doctors for Tomorrow
An outreach program that exposes underrepresented minority students to careers in medicine and provides them with the skills needed to help them pursue this path. Our residents serve as mentors in this program.
Anti Racism Oversight Committee
Resident representation on departmental and Michigan Medicine-wide committees focused on improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion such as the Anti Racism Oversight Committee.
Pediatric Community Health and Advocacy Rotation
All residents complete a Pediatric Community Health and Advocacy Rotation during residency. During this rotation, residents engage with community partners such as WIC and Food Gatherers, learn from child advocates in our community such as the Pediatric Advocacy Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, the Medical Legal Partnership at the Ypsilanti Health Center, and the Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ), and gain experience giving presentations to communities on pediatric health topics in venues such as Mom Share at The Women's Center of Southeastern Michigan. Additionally residents complete a targeted advocacy curriculum which teaches skills including legislative advocacy, writing an op ed, and social media advocacy.
American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Day
All residents have the opportunity to engage in the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Advocacy Day to engage with local legislators. Our program provides residents with mentorship, resources, and information to assist the effectiveness of our residents' communication with these local legislators.
Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read® of the University of Michigan began in 1997 with the encouragement and generous support of a few special community advocates. The program was one of the nation’s earliest Reach Out and Read programs, and is frequently consulted by those wishing to start new programs across the state.
