The following message was sent from Duke Health Leadership on Friday, June 25, 2021.
Dear Colleagues,
In the spirit of LGBTQ+ Pride celebrated each June, we are excited to announce and support the relaunch of the Duke Health OutList to help cultivate a more robust, connected and equitable community across health professions students, graduate students, post-docs, residents, staff and faculty.
The original Duke Health OutList was introduced in 2015 in response to a need identified by a group of our medical students to help connect LGBTQ+ health professions and biomedical graduate students with healthcare providers who either self-identified as LGBTQ+ or as LGBTQ+ allies. The goal was to foster an open, affirming institutional culture and provide opportunities for support, connection and mentorship within our community. More than 200 individuals signed up to be a part of the initial Duke Health OutList.
OutLists exist at other institutions, such as Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, the University of Pennsylvania and UCSF. Having an OutList is a powerful sign that Duke is committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and the right of each person to be who they are without feeling a need to hide core aspects of their identity. Individuals are better able to learn, work and receive care when they feel safe, comfortable and supported in being valued “out” members of the community.
The revitalized OutList will offer the following:
- Expanded scope – all learners, trainees, postdocs, staff and faculty across Duke Health are welcome and encouraged to participate
- Updated and improved mentorship process – mentors and mentees will be able to connect based on a variety of needs (professional, research, identity – e.g., navigating medicine with intersecting racial and LGBTQ+ identities)
- Opportunities – individuals will be able to highlight any special skillsets or training expertise in providing LGBTQ+ affirming care
- Internal provider referral directory – accessible by all Duke Health providers to facilitate referring patients to affirming providers who specialize in LGBTQ+ healthcare
We invite you to support our Duke LGBTQ+ colleagues and larger community by signing up to join the revitalized 2021 Duke Health OutList. To do so, complete the Duke Health OutList survey here. Please note that even if you completed the original Duke Health OutList survey, we ask you to complete it again, because questions have been added and revised to enable enhanced functionality.
We are grateful to our School of Medicine colleagues who sponsor and maintain the OutList. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Chief Diversity Officer Judy Seidenstein or Director of Sexual and Gender Diversity Initiatives Dr. Dane Whicker, within the School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion, at ODI@duke.edu.
- Your Duke Health Leadership