Updates

Throughout the fall, the Task Force is continuing our work to distill your input and shape recommendations to improve and sustain a culture of safety and inclusion. We’d also like to take this time to introduce you to some of the Task Force members who have devoted valuable time and insight throughout this process. This month we’re sharing a brief Q&A with our student representatives.

As summer winds down and we prepare for the entering class of 2023 to join our community, the Task Force on Climate & Culture is reminded of how crucial it is for all of our faculty, staff, students and trainees to be welcomed, safe and valued on campus.

Thank you for sharing your feedback! Your experiences, perspectives and opinions will help inform our efforts to create a more inclusive environment. Now that the focus groups, community discussions and survey have ended, we want to let you know of our next steps.

This survey is a critical part of the Task Force’s efforts to identify what aspects of the WashU Medicine culture are strong and where we need to focus our efforts for improvement. Our aim is to improve and then sustain a culture of safety and inclusion here. Your input in this survey will help move us closer to where we all need and want to be.

In early June, all faculty, staff, students and trainees at the School of Medicine will receive a survey thattake about 15 minutes to complete. Your response will help us see where the WashU Medicine culture is strong and where we need to focus our efforts for improvement.

The formal kickoff with Catalyst, an external consulting group, begins this month with data gathering, interviews, and access to the Catalyst Supporter Network for School of Medicine faculty, staff, students and trainees. In addition, Community Discussion Sessions are now underway.

There are two key areas of progress to report this month. The first is the selection of an external consulting group named Catalyst, that will provide expert guidance to the Task Force. Additionally, the Task Force has established a series of listening sessions that will be led by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Task Force, representing different parts of our academic medical campus community, has been assembled and is beginning its work. As a next step, Task Force leaders have begun actively vetting external consultants who have deep expertise in identifying key gaps and levers for culture change.

The Executive Faculty Task Force on Climate and Culture originates at the highest levels of leadership and will be fully supported by the University. The group will be charged with identifying underlying aspects of the culture here at WashU that can lead to a negative climate for women, people of color, and other vulnerable or marginalized members of our community.