Diversity and inclusion at Advocate Children's Hospital - Oak Lawn

Hey there! Attention all rising Under-Represented 4th-year med students who love the kids! We are offering multiple $2,500 scholarships for visiting senior medical students at Advocate Children’s Hospital in the Chicagoland area pursuing a career in Pediatrics. Deadline (May 1st!) is fast approaching with scholarships being offered on a rolling basis. For more details, visit the pediatric residency programs and fellowships page.

The Mission & Spiritual Care and Diversity & Inclusion departments work together to help implement a system-wide effort to celebrate the rich diversity of faiths and cultures of our team members, patients and their families. Cultural and spiritual holidays from a variety of religions and backgrounds are promoted throughout Advocate Health to boost awareness and education.

The Learning & Development team deployed a new learning tool titled CultureVision, which educates and assists the medical group and other team members in their journey to learn more about our patients’ faiths and cultures. CultureVision serves as a real-time resource that provides supplemental information about religious customs, dietary needs, accommodation requests and other cultural practices that impact how a patient chooses to receive care.

Culturally Effective Healthcare Curriculum

The Culturally Effective Healthcare Curriculum is a longitudinal educational series that focuses on the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that all pediatric providers deliver care with an appropriate knowledge, understanding and appreciation of all cultural distinctions. At ACH-Oak Lawn, the CEH Curriculum aims to help residents develop an awareness of themselves as providers and awareness of the diverse group of patients they serve. This is done through a series of lectures, journal clubs and hands on experiences over the course of the 3-year residency program. Past and future topics include: patients with limited English proficiency, implicit bias training, immigrant health and poverty lab simulations.

Resident affinity groups

Within the residency program, we have developed attending lead groups to support certain resident interests. These voluntary groups meet regularly for social get-togethers outside of the work environment and promote on-campus activities relative to their mission. These groups provide a more expansive framework for mentorship and wellness promotion.

• Women in Medicine
• Men in Pediatrics
• LGBTQ+ and Allies
• Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine
• Parents in the Medical Field

Leaders in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equity designation

Advocate Children’s Hospital – Oak Lawn has received a Leaders in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality designation. In 2019, Advocate Health partnered with hospital leaders to fulfill the requirements, policies and best practices outlined by the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) to showcase our organization as a welcoming health care destination for LGBTQ+ patients and their families.

Scoring was based on several pillars:

• Nondiscrimination protection and policies for patients, visitors and staff
• Patient care services and support
• Cultural training on LGBTQ+ inclusion
• Employee benefits and policies
• Patient and community engagement
• Responsible citizenship

And we have a robust, sustainable plan to continue to be a leader in LGBTQ+ health.