Mission Statement

To promote an environment of diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) among our faculty, trainees and staff through education, training and mentorship.

To advocate for the underrepresented and underserved communities through all aspects of our clinical services, education and training, outreach and engagement, research and scholarship and professional development.

To make the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health a leader on campus, in our community and nationwide in respect and equity for all people, beliefs, needs and cultural traditions, in accordance with The Ohio State University and the College of Medicine’s Strategic Plan and Mission. Excellence is reached when we create an environment of inclusivity, equal opportunity and accessibility in which people from a multitude of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and viewpoints collaborate, facilitate belonging and decrease bias and stigma.

Department DEI Council

Leadership

Jose Moreno, PhD, Vice-Chair of DEI
Lei Wang, PhD, Director of DEI Initiatives

Council members

DEI activities within Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

Clinical services
Our patient care initiatives focus on advancing behavioral health equity through assessment of factors of diversity and social determinants of health that impact utilization of services and outcomes of clinical populations across clinical services. Our faculty strive to engage in DEI activities including:
- Providing culturally-informed clinical services
- Engaging in continue education on cultural humility
- Provision of services for underserved and underrepresented communities
DEI resources related to clinical services:

Patient Support Services
Education and training
Our education initiative strives to create an environment that draws upon the talents of a diverse range of outstanding faculty, researchers, staff and learners. Our clinical psychology internship and psychiatry residency programs focus on the acquisition of the profession wide competency of understanding, managing and facilitating individual and cultural diversity.
Training occurs in a variety of settings including case conferences, individual and group supervision, and lectures. Educators use modeling and encourage mindfulness of efforts to address health disparities in practice and research endeavors. Our current education and training initiatives include:
- Monthly Diversity Journal Club and Diversity Book Club
- Cultural humility workshop series
- Attendance at anti-racism lectures through professional organizations (e.g., addiction medicine)
- Seminars on cultural neuropsychology, first-episode psychosis training and culturally competent cognitive behavioral therapy, both within our educational programs and across the medical communities
- Residency and psychology internship mission and values
  
  Psychiatry
  
  Psychology
DEI resources related to education and training:
- A one-month rotation career development opportunity for medical students from underrepresented groups provided by the Visiting Student Program at the Ohio State University College of Medicine
- A one-year Discovery Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) designed to prepare individuals for admission into a biomedical sciences PhD program. It provides professional development experiences and workshops to strengthen professional skills in order to excel in research and graduate school
- A one-year Medical Careers Pathway Postbaccalaureate Program (MEDPATH) aimed at developing and enriching the academic knowledge base and skills of students prior to their entrance into medical school. The program aims to increase the number of underrepresented minorities and students from educationally and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds who enter medical school and who show evidence of a commitment to practice in a medically underserved community
- The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers several DEI initiatives
Research and scholarship
We believe that a robust research mission that incorporates DEI initiatives through education, training and career development programs increases the likelihood that outcomes will be advantageous for underrepresented populations, will result in increased utilization of services and will reduce health disparities. Currently, a number of our faculty implement the following activities into their research programs:
- Data repositories that include variables such as race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation for use in secondary analyses
- Provide mentorship to underrepresented minority (URM) students
- Provide mentorship to students with limited access to research mentors at the university and College of Medicine level
You can read more about our faculty highlights in Research and Scholarship here.

DEI resources related to research:
- Multiple National Institutes of Health (NIH) institutes offer Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
- Additional DEI-related funding opportunities can be found here.
Outreach and engagement
The community engagement initiative focuses on supporting the mission of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center through partnership, access and engagement with our local communities. These partnerships will ensure access and opportunity, collaboration, and responsibility to our patients and learners. Partnerships with various community organizations have led to several identified DEI opportunities:
- Community psychiatry clinics serving the underserved and disenfranchised patient populations in Columbus
- Collaboration with community partners to expand clinical care and reduce stigma for people with mental illness
- Community outreach and engagement with international communities in Columbus
- You can read more about our faculty highlights in Outreach and Engagement here
Professional development
We engage our faculty and trainees in professional development initiatives to address diversity-related issues that may affect professional development and overall well-being. Specifically, our quarterly faculty workshop series regularly covers DEI topics. Other activities include:
- Mentorship of underrepresented minority trainees at various levels including medical students interested in psychiatry
- Engagement in continuing education opportunities targeting mental health disparities and disparities in research as well as structural inequities and racism
- Advocacy of DEI issues at the professional organization level
- Diversity Journal Club (contact: Darrin Aase and Helena Rempala)
- Diversity Book Club (contact: Leslie Pillow)

Additional DEI resources

Resources in the department
- Link to vice chair’s annual reports to come!
- https://u.osu.edu/psychiatryandbehavioralhealth/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/
Resources at the Ohio State College of Medicine/Wexner Medical Center
- The Diversity Council Calendar of Events provides information on upcoming DEI events and educational offerings
- The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center provides information on employee resource groups including: Hispanic Latino, LGBT and Women of Color
Resources at Ohio State
- The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity is a research institute at The Ohio State University, working on issues of race and community development, aiming to achieve economic inclusion, civic engagement and social equity. Training and resources offered by the Kirwan Institute include training on implicit bias and racial equity.
- The Women’s Place is a women’s organization at The Ohio State University, whose goal is to effect changes that will expand opportunities for women’s growth, leadership and power. Its work focuses on the four areas of policy, culture, leadership and reporting the status of women at The Ohio State University. The Women’s Place is a central resource for women at Ohio State.
- The Ohio State University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) supports the recruitment, retention and success of students, faculty and staff who enhance the diversity of Ohio State. It is home to a wide range of retention, mentoring, scholarship and access programs. Faculty, staff and students can access the Buckeye Portal for Inclusive Excellence, a central repository of Ohio State activities, events, and programs and strategic planning efforts that support the university’s efforts toward inclusive excellence.
The ODI offers resources such as:
- Strategic diversity planning, training and assessment
- Racial justice
- Inclusive recruitment and hiring practices
- Within the ODI, the Task Force on Racism and Racial Inequities provides tangible recommendations to address racism and racial inequities on campus and in the community.

Funding opportunities

This page will be updated when funding opportunities that support DEI-related initiative, projects and activities are available. Please check back with us for announcements.

Giving

The Psychiatry Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fund supports the department’s efforts to promote a culture of inclusiveness and an academic environment in neuroscience and psychiatry where diversity of thought and perspective flourishes through diversity, equity and inclusion programs and initiatives for faculty, clinicians, staff and learners.

Donate to the Psychiatry Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Fund

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

Mission Statement

Department DEI Council

Leadership

Council members

DEI activities within Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

Clinical services

DEI resources related to clinical services:

Education and training

DEI resources related to education and training:

Research and scholarship

DEI resources related to research:

Outreach and engagement

Professional development

Additional DEI resources

Resources in the department

Resources at the Ohio State College of Medicine/Wexner Medical Center

Resources at Ohio State

Funding opportunities

Giving

Contact us about diversity, equity and inclusion

Helpful Links