On July 16th at the Hollins House, the More in Common Alliance (MiCA) reached a significant checkpoint in our short history. We celebrated our inaugural residency class. Joined by leadership from Dominican Hospital where the residents will train, CommonSpirit Health, and Morehouse School of Medicine, we celebrated eight Family Medicine residents who, for the next three years, will train at Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA.
The speakers at the celebration consisted of a who’s who in health education and hospital leadership. Bookended by Nanette Mickiewicz President, Dominican Hospital Santa Cruz and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, the lineup also included Julie Sprengel President and CEO, California Region of CommonSpirit Health, Michelle Johnson Tidjani, JD, MBA, SEVP and CAO of CommonSpirit Health, and a toast by Terika Richardson, FACHE, SEVP and COO of CommonSpirit Health.
This momentous milestone and the residents who matched are a symbolic signaling that CommonSpirit Health and Morehouse School of Medicine are “walking the walk” when it comes to advancing health equity by increasing the availability of well-educated, well trained, underrepresented medical providers. This class is the first of many that represents a new frontier in physician training.
At Morehouse School of Medicine, health equity is defined as, “giving people what they need, when they need it, in the amount they need it, in order to enjoy their optimal health.” Training culturally humble healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds who are prepared to serve historically underserved communities is a crucial step in achieving health equity.
Over the next few days, we are going to introduce you to our “Elite Eight” residents who, in their own ways, have already been championing health equity before joining the MiCA family. Now, with CommonSpirit Health and Morehouse School of Medicine by their side, they will usher in the next level of health equity in Santa Cruz and beyond.
This is just another example of how we continue to do #MoreIn2024!