Residents at Yale New Haven Hospital and the Yale School of Medicine are reestablishing the Minority Housestaff Organization to help recruit and retain minority students. The organization will focus on mentorship, community outreach, and networking/social events. The organization recently held its first meeting and was attended by 26 residents. The group is modeled after the Minority Organization for Retention & Expansion. This group has a goal to increase recruitment and retention of minority faculty at the medical school.
“Our goal is to make it easier for current and future minority residents to find a community and locate the resources and support that are necessary for professional development,” said Ayana Jordan, one of the co-chairs of the new group. She is completing her residency in psychiatry at Yale. Dr. Jordan is a graduate of Hampton University in Virginia and successfully completed the MD/Ph.D. program at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York.
Opeyemi Lamikanra, a third-year resident in orthopaedics and rehabilitation and the other co-chair of the Minority Houstaff Organization, added, “I know what minority organizations can do to foster a sense of community, increase diversity, and enhance the work environment for all. Our events have been met with a positive response and a great amount of support.” Dr. Lamikanra is a graduate of Duke University and the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
