Intersectionality
& Diversity
We strive to create, develop, and nurture an environment where all members of our department reflect the broad diversity of patients and communities that we care for. We are committed to supporting the development of every resident into an exceptional physician, living as their truest self.
"It’s a place that challenges you to become the unique psychiatrist you want to be. Brigham gives you the time, freedom and resources to shape your training in the direction you choose while also learning from the best in the field."
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-Kabir Nigam, MD, PGY3
Recruiting a Diverse Workforce
We are committed to the recruitment of a diverse workforce that is representative of the patients, cultures and identities that we treat in our community. We utilize many strategies to eliminate unconscious bias from our application review process, including blinding reviewers to applicant photos and performing a holistic review of every application without using specific exam score cutoffs. At a minimum, we offer 25% of interview slots to applicants who identify as Underrepresented in Medicine (UIM). All members of our resident and faculty recruitment committee receive training from the Brigham and Women's Hospital Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) in eliminating unconscious bias and best practices for recruitment of a diverse cohort of residents. We also have a newly established Chief Resident of DEI who will serve as a diversity advocate during post-interview recruitment committee feedback sessions. The Brigham CDI will be offering virtual networking receptions for UIM and LGBTQIA+ residents during the recruitment season. Please stay tuned!
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The Brigham CDI is a specialized resource within the institution committed to helping residents with additional support, guidance and opportunities for professional development. Funding opportunities and other resources offered through the Brigham CDI include:
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United Against Racism
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The Mass General Brigham United Against Racism campaign is committed to fight against racism in our healthcare community, guided by this statement of focus:
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We believe that systemic racism is a public health issue which impacts our patients, workforce, and the communities we serve. Working collectively, we are taking action across the system to dismantle racism and learning as we go. Our mission is to dismantle the barriers, systems, and actions inside and outside our walls to provide excellent medical care and equity for all.
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We strongly believe that future leaders in psychiatry must have a comprehensive historical understanding of centuries of systemic racism and the resulting social determinants that have led to widespread healthcare inequities.
JEDI Curriculum
The clinical and didactic curriculum at Brigham has strong threads devoted to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). Our residents, who represent many intersectional identities, receive early training in implicit bias recognition and assessment, bystander/upstander training, recognition of micro- and macro-aggressions, and use of in-person and remote modalities of language translation. Residents learn how to engage patients in self-identification, use appropriate social identity terminology, and participate in discussions with colleagues about intersectionality and how to improve care.
Clinical rotations serve diverse patient populations with a wide range of social identities and lived experience. Some rotations are highly specialized and may focus on treatment of patients with similar social identities. Residents are exposed to a wide range of ages, treating children and adolescents at Boston Children’s Hospital, young adults through the MMHC RAFT program and the Brigham and Women’s Young Adult Mental Health Clinic, and older adults at the McLean Hospital geriatric psychiatry unit and the Brigham and Women’s outpatient Geriatric Psychiatry clinic. On the inpatient consultation-liaison psychiatry service and through a variety of sub-specialty medical psychiatry outpatient experiences, residents learn about the unique aspects of working with patients who endorse identities associated with disability and chronic medical illness. Residents with fluency in Spanish and Mandarin have the opportunity to care for patients in these two native languages at the Brigham Psychiatric Specialties clinic. Residents have the opportunity to rotate through a variety of clinics within the Mass General Brigham system providing gender-affirming specialized psychiatric and medical care for LGBTQIA+ identifying individuals.
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We strongly believe that future leaders in psychiatry must have a comprehensive historical understanding of centuries of systemic racism and the resulting social determinants that have led to widespread healthcare inequities.