Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism

Department Value Statement

The Department of Physical Therapy joins faculty, staff, and students across the college and institution to declare and affirm our commitment to social justice, equity, and anti-racism. We also unite in solidarity with those beyond the University who are working to dismantle institutionalized racism and white supremacy. 

As healthcare providers, we celebrate human diversity. However, we acknowledge that racist assumptions, perspectives, and the consequences of those are deeply embedded in healthcare and higher education.  We are committed to understanding and challenging the historical legacies of racism and inequity. We remain dedicated to the recognition of implicit bias, and systemic advantage and oppression, along with the development and implementation of strategies and best practices that dismantle systemic racism within our department, college, university, professions, and society.  

We recognize that anti-racist work requires sustained action across all parts of our community. The work of deepening our anti-racist education must be paired with purposeful systemic changes to promote racial equity within our institution. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) House of Delegates has passed two motions in 2021: an APTA commitment to being an anti-racist organization and having “inclusion” be a core value of the APTA. To demonstrate our ongoing commitment, some examples of current action steps can be found listed below.

Action Plan

1. Curriculum and syllabus review with antiracist lens; adjustments ongoing to enrich classroom experience and focus on health equity. Review includes assessing syllabi for: inclusion of perspectives, accessibility, critical engagement, diverse pedagogical teaching techniques, respect for student needs, respect for student identity, attention to language, and facilitating discussion of different perspectives.
2. Development of holistic admissions process (removal of GRE requirement, change of criteria for admissions, addition of KIRA interviews).
3. Examination of the faculty/staff search policies with standardization of procedures: All members of search committees are required to complete diversity and anti-bias trainings. All search committees are run in a standardized fashion with multiple evaluators for all positions and structured questions asked similarly of all candidates where relevant.
4. Open and ongoing solicitation of feedback from our student community by way of surveys and focus groups to inform changes and improvements.
5. Social Justice Learning Club developed in 2020 by students with faculty advisor. Meets monthly for additional student support and deepened learning.

Resources

We have developed a resource list for department members to access for support of self or others who may want/need additional information on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This list is intended for students, faculty, and staff. These resources range from support/mental health services, community forums, trainings on racial identity, information on antiracist pedagogy, and sources for a more inclusive history of health sciences.

We are dedicated to making long-term, sustainable changes and appreciate feedback from our alumni and students. Along with other departments at Sargent College and Boston University, we aim to create a more inclusive profession for both our students and the individuals we serve, including those from marginalized communities and with consideration for race, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, neurodiversity, and ability. We are committed to reducing racial disparities in the field and strive to educate our students to be inclusive, antiracist clinicians and colleagues.

This statement was developed as a collaboration between faculty, staff and student members of the Department of Physical Therapy. It is intended to be a living document that we will update as our department learns, grows, and adapts to the needs of our students and communities.