Department of Surgery
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  2. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

DEI Team Members

Emilia Diego, MD, FACS (she/her/hers) is a breast surgical oncologist. In addition to her leadership roles in the breast program, she is also the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department of Surgery. She has initiated several educational programs within the department to increase awareness about the influence of our words and actions on patient care and the culture in the workplace. Some examples include department-wide implicit bias and upstander training, implementing Cultural M&M (as initiated at the University of Maryland), creating a department podcast series, leadership dinner symposiums, and a collaborative symposium on family issues/childbearing while juggling a surgical career. When she is not being a breast surgeon, she likes to pretend that she is a pastry chef or a dog whisperer.

 

Steven Evans, MD, (he/him/his) is a surgical oncologist whose primary practice is at UPMC Shadyside. He also serves as the Director for Community Engagement for our department and has dedicated a large part of his career to closing the divide and disparities in health care for minority populations in the Pittsburgh region. Steven, as known by his friends and family, enjoys listening to smooth jazz, running, and singing ballads and contemporary gospel songs.

 

 

Justin Wideman (he/him/his) is the Program Coordinator for DEI and Community Engagement. He attended the University of Pittsburgh where he studied history and political science. He worked at Pitt libraries for 12 years where he was a library specialist at Hillman Library. While working there, he developed an interest in diversity and inclusion and worked with library colleagues toward creating a diverse workforce. Justin enjoys Sci-fi movies, video games, and occasionally, historical documentaries. You can find him taking walks near his home with his dog, Misha.

 

DEI Symposium Recordings

 

Steel City Surgeons Podcast

microphone

Steel City Surgeons is the homegrown podcast of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery. With each episode, we will interview a faculty member or resident in the department to celebrate our diverse background, experiences, and perspectives. Each episode is uniquely hosted by someone with a special interest in the field of surgery.

  • Produced by: Drs. Sidrah Khan, Sultan Abdelhamid, Amanda Phillips, and Emilia Diego, and Mr. Max Glider

  • Original Musical Score by: AnnaElaine Lee Rosengart 

 

EPISODES

Episode 1: Listen to Dr. Sidrah Khan and medical students Antalya Jano and Ashti Shah interview Dr. Sally Carty, a Professor of Surgery, Chief of Endocrine Surgery at Pitt, and a Past President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. They discuss how she navigated a career in surgery and served as a trailblazing force for gender equity in the field.

 

Community Engagement

   

Click each photo to enlarge

Drs. Steven Evans and Callie Hlavin administer vaccines the Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg on November 20th 2021. UPMC and community members volunteered to give Over 400 shots and spread the importance of vaccines in the fight against Covid-19.

The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy provides intensive eight-week research program for rising juniors and seniors in high school. This year the Department of Surgery provided six students with scholarships in the amount of $2,400 from a grant provided by the Beckwith Institute to support this effort and build a pipeline of students underrepresented in medicine.

Our community efforts this year also included the distribution of 300 "Backpacks of Hope" to youth K-12, at the 2nd Annual Community, Health, and Wellness Summit in Homewood, August 3, 2022 and August 10, 2022 at Mt. Ararat Community Day, East End Pittsburgh, which was a collaborative engagement made possible through the Beckwith Institute, Staples, the Greater Pittsburgh Foodbank, and Dicks Sporting Goods.