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Wellness

The Wellness Committee is a faculty-supported, resident-run group that was founded in response to a recognized need for our residents to have a platform to address mental health and other wellness issues.

We recognize the high rates of burnout and mental health disorders that are far too common among residents and health care providers of all specialties and levels of training.

Membership is open to any family medicine resident who is interested. We hold monthly meetings, though no minimum time commitment is required.

Mission Statement

We aim to advocate for and enhance the mental well-being of our family medicine residency family. We work to de-stigmatize conversations about mental health and wellness and to create a platform where all residents feel comfortable discussing concerns related to mental health. We directly work with faculty and act as a liaison between the residency body and the administration to create initiatives that enhance the wellness and culture of our program.

Examples of Past Initiatives

  • Worked with faculty and ACGME to clarify guidelines that allow residents to discretely have protected time to go to therapy/health appointments
  • Positivity boards
  • Publicizing wellness resources on campus
  • Zoom Movie Nights
  • Debrief sessions with faculty to help cope with the added stresses of COVID-19 on our practice

Examples of Ongoing/Future Initiatives

  • Starting an annual resident retreat (originally approved to start in 2020, postponed due to COVID)
  • Renovating our morning report/main teaching room to be more welcoming, positive environment

Social Justice

The mission of the Social Justice Committee is to awaken the collective consciousness of residents and faculty to issues of social justice in our clinical practice and community at large. Topics include: systemic racism, health disparities, immigration and inequality, reproductive justice, LGTBQ+ health care, etc.

Our goal is to both educate and inform the way we practice medicine, resulting in more equitable, culturally competent health care. This committee shapes the social justice curriculum, which is integrated into resident education, and also leads community service and engagement activities.

Health Justice Track

Faculty Advisors: Diana Carvajal, MD; Shana Ntiri, MD; Claire Eberhardt, LCSW

The Health Justice Track prepares residents to become champions of health equity and apply leadership skills in a variety of potential career paths ranging from academia to community medicine, public health, policy and more. Through a series of monthly seminars, that include special guest speakers, journal clubs, video discussions and hands-on practical experiences, the track sets out to:

  1. Teach residents to understand the social, cultural, and political determinants of health and their impact on diverse communities, and particularly the West Baltimore patient population
  2. Equip residents with the tools to advocate on behalf of the community, collaborate with key stakeholders, and influence systems to bring about anti-racist and equitable health outcomes

Faculty Commitment

Our program is committed to recognizing and working to address issues of social justice in our clinical practice and community at large, including the topics of systemic racism, health disparities, immigration and inequality, reproductive justice, LGTBQ+ health care, etc. Our goal is to both educate and inform the way we practice medicine, resulting in more equitable, culturally competent health care. This is incorporated in our social justice curriculum, which is integrated into resident education, and also through community service and engagement activities. Additionally, several of our faculty are committed to health equity and social justice beyond our program.

Diana N. Carvajal, MD, MPH (she/her/ella) is a practicing Latina family physician and clinical researcher. She is the research section co-leader and is also directs the Reproductive Health Education in Family Medicine (RHEDI) program as well as the Reproductive Health and Family Planning Track. At the national RHEDI program, Dr. Carvajal is the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Anti-Racism and Strategic Planning and in addition is the leader of the RHAP (Reproductive Health Access Project) Mid-Atlantic Regional Cluster. Her research focuses on Latina/X populations and contraceptive decision-making. In her work,

Dr. Carvajal strives to use a broad Human Rights framework with a focus on intersectionality and reproductive justice that centers marginalized populations and recognizes historic and current injustices perpetuated against them. In addition, her work also includes workforce diversity research, teaching and advocating for a more diverse and representative physician workforce.

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