Nominations - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Call for Nominations DEI

The Lineberger Equity Council, a board of dedicated faculty, staff, trainees, and patient advocates, is committed to building diverse and equitable systems that enable the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to deliver the best care, be the best funded, train the best clinicians and scholars, and produce and disseminate the best and most impactful research in the United States. To succeed in these aims the Lineberger Equity Council has developed the recommendations below. View full list of Phase I recommendations.

Phase I Recommendation Categories

Dismantle ineffective systems and install new systems that promote opportunity for all.
Recruit and retain staff, faculty, clinicians, and institutional leaders who reflect the diversity of the population we serve.
Conduct research and clinical trial recruitment with equity lens.
Build transparent systems and interventions to solve inequitable cancer care and outcomes.
Address culture through ongoing education and training on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

UNC Lineberger Equity Council Phase 1 Actionable Solutions: 1. Dismantle ineffective systems; 2. Conduct research with an equity lens, including clinical trials recruitment; 3. Improve hiring and retention for all positions; 4. Reduce patient care disparities and ensure equitable care; 5. Pursue and uphold an inclusive and equitable culture.

If all or some of these issues touch your heart, we encourage you to join the efforts to change our environment. There are many ways to do so.

You can be an active champion in your department or area of work.
You can participate in future trainings and discussions held by the council.
You can join the Equity Council in one of the Implementation Committees.

Implementation Subcommittees

During Phase II, the Equity Council will focus on implementing the actionable solutions from Phase I. In lieu of having all the subcommittees begin at once, five committees will launch in October 2021 and the remaining committees will start in Spring 2022. Subcommittee members assigned to one of the groups below will work alongside technical experts that will provide guidance and assistance to implement the recommendations.

Research Recruitment and Conduct

Actionable Solutions

1. Develop a system and / or software to maximally identify eligible patients of color for all clinical studies
2. Address the system of patient engagement

Aggressions

Actionable Solutions

1. Adopt prevention activities (education on examples of aggression and policy)
2. Construction or identification of a reporting system

Patient Care

Actionable Solutions

1. Implement a real-time build to the medical health record that will report staging and other critical measurements according to race and other designated disadvantages groups
2. Involve the NC Health Information Exchange so that patients from outside institutions can be included in care systems

Recruitment and Retention

Actionable Solutions

1. Search committee training curriculum that could include such issues as implicit bias and the barriers that BIPOC investigators face (lack of presence in leadership, poor culture including aggressions, lower salaries, lower rates of funding, promotion, etc.) 
2. Formal sponsorship recommendations that could include participation in decision making processes, co-I opportunities, introductions, and connections to your connections

Dismantle Ineffective Systems

Actionable Solutions

1. Systems of leadership and promotion (“term limits” catalogue retention packages)
2. Grant writing mentorship and partnership – funding, Co-Investigator opportunities, intentional and aggressive development of PI’s

Actionable Solutions

1. Ensure PI’s have access to a diverse advisory board
2. Develop plans to address NIH policy

Care Communication

Actionable Solutions

1. Effective 2-way communication for patients and families (that includes a systematic process to have patients identify who the eligible communicators can be). Patient-centered navigation could be part of this process.
2. Communication for “mixed” cancer care (part of treatment is at the community level – multimodal treatment for rectal cancer is a great example)
3. Communication with primary care that includes formal delineation of responsibilities during active treatment and survivorship

The Training of Culture

Actionable Solutions

1. Communication for “mixed” cancer care (part of treatment is at the community level – multimodal treatment for rectal cancer is a great example)
2. Regularly scheduled DEI discussions at both the horizontal and vertical levels (construct a guide with topical areas that could help facilitate such discussions)

DEI Evaluation Policy

Actionable Solutions

To be determined by the subcommittee

Member Expectations

Equity Council members are expected to:

Attend the 2-day Virtual Racial Equity Institute (REI) Phase 1 training
Attend at least 75% of all scheduled meetings, including bi-weekly committee meetings (exact meeting dates & times will be determined by the committee) and bi-monthly full council meetings, which will be held the 3rd Friday every other month, 2-4pm.
Contribute an equitable share of work and complete assignments and other requests in a timely manner.
Uphold the highest level of professionalism and courtesy with other Equity Council members and the greater Lineberger community.
Maintain focus on the DEI mission of the UNC Lineberger Equity Council, even when doing so may challenge a personal belief.

Call for Nominations

Megaphone We seek to engage people from across the Cancer Center to join with our co-chairs and executive core to bring our DEI commitment to life. Our full Equity Council will develop DEI recommendations, oversee implementation efforts, and provide a mechanism for ongoing accountability.

If you are interested in serving on the Equity Council or would like to nominate someone to serve, please complete the nomination form.

Nominations Form

If you have questions, please contact Lauren Matthews, Project Director for the Lineberger Equity Council.