Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation core values - graphic

At the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, our patients, volunteers, and staff leadership are committed to continuously evolving the organization’s embodiment of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI is fundamental to the success of our overall mission – finding cures and improving the quality of life for all IBD patients.

 

Our employees and the larger community are uniquely interconnected, where many of our staff and volunteers are also IBD patients, caregivers, and/or healthcare professionals. This overlap makes it critical that our approach to DEI is woven into every aspect of the Foundation’s work, both inside and outside the organization. Furthermore, our research estimates that nearly 1 in 100 Americans are diagnosed with IBD. However, this statistic does not fully account for the health inequities that many marginalized communities face, which contribute to delayed diagnoses or going undiagnosed. Our commitment to reaching all IBD patients includes finding ways to address injustices such as this, in order to meet every patient where they are on their journey to remission, and ultimately cures.

 

Our DEI strategy is an ongoing effort that evolves as we learn from our work and from our peers. As you view this page, you will find examples of activities we’ve developed in partnership with marginalized communities to ensure their sustainability and cultural appropriateness.

 

Advancing DEI Within the IBD Community

For the general population, it’s challenging to reach an early and accurate diagnosis of IBD, and this is only amplified for underrepresented communities dealing with an inequitable healthcare system. To help combat this issue, we’ve piloted a tailored approach to reach these communities with our resources and better address their specific needs. We’ve been deliberate in these interventions in order to sustain and scale them, where the two primary focuses are Education & Support, and Research & Care.

 

Education & Support

Morning of Culture and Morning of Community Programs: Our signature programs, “Morning of Culture” and “Morning of Community,” were co-constructed with the Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities, respectively. Bringing together patients and caregivers from these two communities, our customized programs provide tailored sessions with our resources and support. Sign up for upcoming programs in cities across the country, here.

 

DEI Patient and Caregiver Advisory Committee: To continue meeting the needs of diverse communities, this committee consists of underrepresented IBD patients who assist in developing and reviewing new and existing programs and resources created by the Foundation.

 

Tailored Resources: To support the specific needs of underrepresented patients, we developed dedicated resources for individual communities. These include:

 

Research & Care

National Scientific Advisory Committee (NSAC) Diversity and Inclusion Committee: Led by Dr. Dedrick Moulton (Chair), Dr. Ruby Greywoode (Co-Chair), and Kimberly Kearns, APN-BC (Co-Chair), the NSAC Diversity and Inclusion Committee was created to ensure programs and research initiatives attract and reflect the diversity of the IBD professional community and the patients and caregivers we serve.

 

CDC Grant for Enhancing African American IBD Care: We’ve secured a grant from the CDC that will support a comprehensive five-year project in collaboration with the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) aimed at identifying and addressing barriers to medical diagnosis and care of Black & African American patients with IBD.

 

Prioritizing DEI with Our Employees

Whether it’s fostering a sense of belonging in individuals, or educating the entire Foundation staff, our internal DEI initiatives aim to empower and instill empathy within our teams.

 

Employee Resource Group (ERG)

We take pride in our ERG - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) – as the group plays a pivotal role in continuously evolving our organization’s culture and advancing the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s mission at large. IDEA unites employees from shared backgrounds, along with their allies, to create a platform for uplifting and amplifying their voices, as well as championing the integration of DEI into our work for the IBD community.

 

Conversation Corners

Organized by our IDEA ERG, Conversation Corners are monthly gatherings that highlight underrepresented perspectives and experiences. These highly regarded events provide a safe space for employees to engage.
 

McKinsey's Connect Leaders Academy

The Foundation partnered with McKinsey to offer our Asian, Black/African American, and Hispanic/Latino employees the opportunity to participate in the Connected Leaders Academy, a training program designed to develop talent with diverse backgrounds at various career stages.

 

LinkedIn Learning Trainings

Through LinkedIn Learning, we to provide all employees access to their online educational courses for professional development. These courses cover a wide variety of DEI-related topics, including Leading Inclusive Teams and Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Interviewing.

 


 

We are proud of our DEI progress and evolution thus far and excited for what is next. If you’re interested in contributing or partnering with us on our DEI efforts, please contact our Director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Sarah Lewis or Senior Director, Education & Diversity Engagement Caneka McNeil Moore.

 

 

The Community Engagement initiative is generously supported, in part, by the following partners:

Genentech logo
Takeda
Eli Lilly and Company