

Adys Mendizabal and Daniel Cristancho (class of 2020; pictured above) are resident members of the department’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
In July 2017, Penn Neurology appointed its first Vice Chair of Diversity and Inclusion, Roy Hamilton, MD, MS, FAAN (pictured below). With Dr. Hamilton’s guidance, our department has created a Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the mission of which is “to create and sustain a diverse and inclusive culture that critically enhances the clinical work, education, and research of the Department of Neurology at Penn.” Adys and Daniel join a group of fellows, researchers, faculty, and staff, who share the goals of promoting workforce diversity, enhancing community outreach, enriching health disparities education, and cultivating a culture of inclusion within the department. Among its many activities, the committee is currently working to develop a health equity curriculum to enrich education for current neurology residents. The curriculum will include topics such as implicit bias and cultural competence, social determinants of health, and disparities in neurologic care across subspecialties.