The Pitt OT Advisory Committee remains fully committed to providing oversight and recommendations to develop strategies that transform our institutional culture while promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Since the start of 2022, committee members have been trained to engage in difficult conversations, shifting from debate to meaningful dialogue, in preparation for small group meetings with Pitt OT students, faculty and staff. Two thoughtful dialogues surfaced from the following themes addressed during those meetings, as areas to improve upon: belongingness and community within the contextual environments, and understanding the current sense of community culture and its influence on educational experiences. This ongoing feedback allowed the committee to brainstorm implementation strategies to be executed by the department to bring forth results, as the priority remains to make a lasting, measurable difference to impact the future of Pitt OT.
We look forward to continuing this partnership and are excited for the onboarding of a few new members to grant varying perspectives. As always, we remain open to feedback and are happy to provide counsel and direction on DEI within the Department of Occupational Therapy.
For additional information, contact Committee Chair Janelle Moody at janelle.moody@pitt.edu.