Meet our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team! Drs. Lawlis and Risch are our faculty Co-Directors a nd Drs. Alammar, Anderson, and Meraou are the resident co-chairs. Together, these physicians bring national expertise and visionary leadership to our department's Office of DEI, grounded by a deep commitment to transparency, meaningful work, and objective outcomes.      

DEI Mission Statement: Together, we are committed to pursuing and celebrating diversity by increasing the outreach, recruitment, retention and advancement of traditionally underrepresented communities in medicine. We aim to nurture equity and foster a culture of inclusiveness, openness, understanding, and well-being for ourselves, our patients, our colleagues, and our community.

The pediatric residency at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center is committed to pursuing and celebrating diversity by increasing the outreach, recruitment, and retention of traditionally underrepresented communities in medicine. We aim to nurture equity and foster a culture of inclusiveness, openness, understanding, and well-being.  

We are appreciative of each of everyone’s background: race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religion, age, ability, and other forms of diversity. We rejoice in the unique experience each resident brings. Representation matters. We believe diverse experiences and perspectives will reveal new and creative approaches to patient care, population health and scientific discovery. We are lifelong learners.  

As pediatricians we have a unique responsibility to advocate and help dismantle structural inequities and racism experienced by children, adolescents, young adults, and families. We are committed to education, practice, and research that addresses the social determinants of health and reduces inequities in healthcare. Actions speak louder than words.

DEI Initiatives: Listed below are a few of our DEI initiatives to promote health equity for the families we serve. These efforts represent our commitment to build on the work that has been done before .

• DEI training during Grand Rounds, Professional Development series, and academic curriculum
• JEDI residency track
• Meet and greet events curated for Underrepresented Minorities in medicine
• Advocacy curriculum
• Social Determinants of Health curriculum
• Roy G. Biv Program:  This is the only interdisciplinary clinic in the state that provides gender affirming care to patients under the age of 16 years. This program also serves as the founding member of the Gender Affirming Professionals Network (GAP-Net) that promotes collaboration among gender affirming healthcare providers across the state.
• Oklahoma Pediatric Clinical Trials Network (OPCTN): this provides access for the underserved rural urban minority, and American Indian populations of children in Oklahoma.