Diversity

Marc Gorelick, MD, president and CEO of Children’s Minnesota, shared more about equity on his Starting with Curious blog.

Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month is celebrated during May. During this month, we recognize the histories, cultures and contributions of those who came to the United States, and the generations who have enriched our history along the way. As we highlight the importance of this observation, we are excited to introduce Dr. Asitha Jayawardena, staff physician at Children’s Minnesota’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Facial Plastic Clinic. We celebrate and are thankful for their shared story.

Children’s Minnesota leaders Dr. Emily Chapman and Dr. Gabrielle Hester talk about the urgency of addressing health disparities. “We must be transparent about our shortcomings as health care institutions and actively work to address the implicit, institutional and structural biases that impact quality of care. Because only when we know what the problem is, can we begin to address it.”

“It’s important that as a community we work hard to defeat the monster of low expectations. Most kids in elementary school, regardless of race or background, are equally interested in the same things,” said Andrew Kiragu, MD, pediatric critical care, Children’s Minnesota. “But unfortunately, somewhere along the way for young black boys, these dreams slowly fade away. And part of that is, lower expectations presented to them and lack of role models. This is why it’s important for those of us in medicine, engineering, etc. to reach back and give an example to excite them the possibilities that are ahead of them.”

Kprecia Ambers is the young artist behind the new illustrations for The Mother Baby Center rebrand. Learn more about her passion for the project and how she hopes to make a difference through her illustrations.

We talked with Children’s Minnesota employees about the significance and meaning of Black History Month.