UMass Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences Leading Diversity and Inclusion Efforts in Ophthalmology

UMass Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences was happy to host aspiring medical students from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and the CUNY School of Medicine in New York City. The visiting student doctors are participating in Diversity for HIM (Diversity for Healthcare, Innovation, and Medicine) at UMass Chan this summer.

The program’s purpose is to increase representation of Black men and other URiM groups in healthcare professions and biomedical sciences. “Ophthalmology remains one of the least diverse specialties in all of medicine at 6%.  But we are looking to change that. Three of our 8 current residents are men of African or African-American descent,” stated Misha Faustina, MD, FACS, the Residency Program Director and Liaison for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for UMass Ophthalmology. 

During their immersive experience at The Eye Center at Hahnemann and the Virtual Eye Hospital at interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (iCELS) of UMass Chan Medical School, the students learned physical diagnosis skills including the eight-part eye exam and use of the slit lamp microscope, reviewed anatomy and physiology of the visual system as well as ophthalmoscopy skills using virtual reality, and participated in hands-on activities like suture techniques and simulated cataract surgery.