Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine's Vicki Sapp, PhD, named to Geisinger Diversity and Inclusion Council

Scranton, PA (01/28/2019) — Vicki T. Sapp, Ph.D., director of student engagement, diversity and inclusion and a faculty member at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) was named to the Geisinger Diversity and Inclusion Council. The council includes a cross section of representatives drawn from Geisinger's more than 33,000 employees.

Geisinger's Diversity and Inclusion Council is a new initiative just launched in January. Dr. Sapp said its purpose is to define what diversity and inclusion mean at Geisinger and then to examine the experiences of Geisinger patients, members, employees and students to be sure they correspond to the vision. Where there are gaps, the council is tasked with devising ways to close them. Dr. Sapp will work with GCSOM students and other learners in the Geisinger system to ensure the council hears their voices and takes their experiences into consideration.

Part of Dr. Sapp's work on the council is to gather and analyze data generated by employee and learner surveys to gain insight into the current mood and outlook of the system's diverse population. Another task is to "critique current diversity mission statements and hold focus groups get a picture of the learner experience - especially the perspectives on diversity and inclusion of students and residents," Dr. Sapp said.

Education and training will also be offered by the council and Dr. Sapp has been asked to deliver two such sessions: "Understanding and Interrupting Microaggressions," a program she delivered at a recent Racism in Medicine conference in Philadelphia, and "Navigating Triggering Events." Both sessions are intended to give attendees the tools and vocabulary they need to transform potentially harmful experiences into something positive for everyone involved.

"The training, the focus groups and the data analysis will help to achieve the council's overall goal, which is to be sure that - together -- we achieve Geisinger's mission of providing culturally competent care and developing and sustaining a diverse workforce," she said.

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