Medical Schools Given Opportunity to Measure Social Mission

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Ruler with inscription "measure what matters"

For the first time in 5 years, all U.S. based medical schools have the opportunity to participate in the Social Mission Metrics Self-Assessment, a free tool for schools to evaluate their performance on activities related to social mission. In 2019, the Social Mission Alliance (then the Beyond Flexner Alliance) invited all U.S. based medical, dental, and a random sample of 400 nursing schools to participate in the Social Mission Metrics Self-Assessment. Beginning development in 2016, this self-evaluation evaluates the current state of social mission within a health professions institution and provides key benchmarking information that schools can use to guide improvement….

Posted in: PressTagged in: Social Mission Metrics

July 2024 – Health Advocate Insights

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Money sits near 1040A tax forms

The past month of the presidential race has brought increased visibility to the respective health workforce and higher education implications of each candidate. Candidate Trump’s pick of Senator JD Vance (R-OH) for Vice President portends a potentially harsh policy environment for higher education and healthcare….

Posted in: NewslettersTagged in: Advocacy, Newsletter

How We Measure What Matters

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Poster board with sticky notes and banner that reads "social mission metrics initiative"

After the groundswell of enthusiasm from our Conferences and our return to our home institutions, I often wonder how our schools foster conditions for our work toward social mission transformation. What if our work was assessed and our programs evaluated on their contributions to social mission – the advancement of equity and justice for the communities we serve?…

Posted in: NewslettersTagged in: Newsletter

June 2024 – Health Advocate Insights

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University of Missouri

Last month saw a dramatic rise in student protests against Israel’s invasion of Gaza and a subsequent violent pushback from university authorities and the police. This month, major universities have begun to experience the fallout of their actions…

Posted in: NewslettersTagged in: Advocacy, Newsletter

Champion Spotlight: Families Moving Forward

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Families Moving forward

For this month’s champion spotlight series we spoke with Families Moving Forward (FMF), a community-based organization in Durham, North Carolina that helps provide families with children a stable, safe, and loving environment while they are in the temporary crisis of homelessness….

Posted in: CommunityTagged in: Champion Spotlight

Op-Ed in NC Newsline: Duke University mirrors national trend with troubling retreat on DEI

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NC Newsline headline "Duke University mirrors national trend with troubling retreat on DEI"

Social Mission Alliance team member Nadia Bey published an op-ed on June 13, 2024 in NC Newsline, discussing the repeal of a scholarship formerly reserved for Black students at Duke, pre-existing concerns about campus climate and Black enrollment, and how how additional recent changes to Duke’s merit scholarship structure will negatively impact who has the ability to enroll. …

Posted in: Insights, PressTagged in: Advocacy, Diversity, Student

Champion Spotlight: El Futuro

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Child holding a sign that reads "El Futuro"

In April, we spoke with Dr. Luke Smith, Psychiatrist and Executive Director at El Futuro, a community-based nonprofit organization that seeks to transform mental health care in North Carolina and beyond. They provide bilingual therapy, psychiatry, case management, substance use treatment, and other mental health services to North Carolina’s Latino community in a welcoming environment of healing and hope. El Futuro hosts residents and students, and leads efforts to support and educate those who are interested in serving the Latino community….

Posted in: CommunityTagged in: Champion Spotlight

May 2024 – Advocate Insights

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The Social Mission Alliance’s vision for health professional training is grounded in the belief that reform of institutional policies are key to advancing health equity and creating a health professional workforce that will live out values of social justice. For this reason, we object to the increasingly aggressive tactics Universities…

Posted in: NewslettersTagged in: Advocacy, Newsletter

Preparing Healthcare Providers to Meet the Social Mission of Nursing

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a group of people posing in front of a milken institute school of public health

My name is Brigit Carter and I have been invited to be the Guest Editor for the April 2024 issue of the Social Mission Alliance newsletter. I am drawn in not only by the mission and vision of the Social Mission Alliance, but also by a very personal connection that has forever shaped my path as a health care provider….

Posted in: NewslettersTagged in: Conference, Newsletter, Nursing

Champion Spotlight

The Social Mission Alliance features Social Mission Champions on our social media accounts and blog. The series highlights the important work done by those who are advancing health equity and addressing the health disparities of the society in which it exists. If you’d like to be considered for a Social Mission Champion feature, complete the form below.