MCW Pediatric Residency Commitment to Respect, Belonging, and Inclusivity (RBI)

Our pediatric residency program is committed to creating an environment that is intentionally inclusive, diverse, and respectful in which all our trainees can thrive, knowing that they are vital members of our community. We are committed to creating a culture of belonging, acceptance, and openness. We believe medical training includes learning how to provide care for patients from all backgrounds. We aim to train physicians who will address health inequities as advocates for their communities and leaders in promoting health justice. We strive to reflect the diverse populations we diagnose, treat, and heal.

How We Support RBI

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BELIEVE Curriculum

Our BELIEVE curriculum is an important part of our training focused on learning about and creating an atmosphere of inclusion in our program as well as in our community and among the patients we serve. This curriculum helps us to learn about effective advocacy for all children, community engagement, caring for patients in limited resource communities, social determinants of health and more. This overarching curriculum is woven throughout all aspects of our program with contributions from the residency leadership team, Global and Community Health Track, Community Pediatrics team, resident-led RBI committee, and chief residents.

Intern morning reports: Monthly session of the cultural humility series led by members of our resident committee
Noon conferences: Over 50 sessions in 3-year curriculum cycle devoted to BELIEVE curriculum
Noon conference hot topics: Space for new session creation by resident leaders
Resident Retreats: Each retreat has a session:
- 1st year retreat: Identities and implicit bias
- 2nd year retreat: Understanding perspectives, cultural humility, and empathy
- 3rd year retreat: Becoming leaders in respect, belonging, and inclusivity
Simulation: Fostering Respect and Inclusion Upstander Workshop
Community Pediatrics: Four weeks (2-week rotation 1st year and 2nd year) focused on community engagement, health disparities, health equity rounds, social determinants of health, legislative advocacy, and more
Midtown Clinic: Resident clinic located in central Milwaukee in an under resourced community, home of our ambulatory pediatrics rotation
Sixteenth Street Clinic: FQHC located on the south side of Milwaukee, predominantly Spanish speaking community, home to continuity clinic and ambulatory electives for some of our residents
Orientation: Milwaukee-specific education, celebrating identities training, and committee introduction during intern orientation
Journal Club: Annual session with article chosen by resident committee

Inclusion, Belonging, and Culture

PRIDE Mentors
This program is available to any residents who would like to connect with other residents related to shared identities. PRIDE mentors provide a built-in-buddy/mentor who can help provide mentorship, connection, and share guidance in many personal and professional areas related to their shared identities. Membership in this program is open to all residents.

Faculty RBI Mentors/Faculty RBI Mixer
This effort connects residents with faculty mentors of shared identity to provide support and guidance during residency and/or collaborate on projects/research.

Unprofessional Behavior Reporting Tool and Response Team
A reporting tool that allows residents to confidentially report unprofessional behavior that was experienced or witnessed. The response team is then able to provide support, intervene, and educate.

Resident Respect, Belonging, and Inclusivity Committee

As pediatricians training in a city filled with a wide range of cultural backgrounds and a rich history, we recognize the importance of valuing and celebrating our differences; creating an inclusive environment and culture of respect and belonging in our program, the places we work, and in our community; and promoting health equity and exemplary care for all. As such, the program is proud to recognize the outstanding work of our resident-led RBI Committee.

Our Committee Structure includes subgroups focused on our guiding principles:

Recruitment and Retention
Curriculum Advancement
Scholarly Activity and Research
Community Engagement and Advocacy

Selected Active Projects and Successes

Recruitment and Retention: Pre-interview season mixer with multiple social hours for interested residency applicants
Major contributions to our BELIEVE curriculum
Longitudinal cultural humility curriculum
Helped implement efforts encouraging conference presenters to include areas of focus on discussion of inequities and tools for providers to address them
PRIDE Mentors Program: Fostering a sense of belonging amongst trainees and faculty through connections of people with shared identities
Annual Resident Retreat

Future Goals

Enhance and grow our cultural humility curriculum
Continue to build an environment and culture that celebrates and values diversity of all forms in our patients and our program. We strive to be a destination program where all trainees and faculty can thrive.
Optimizing mentorship relationships for students, residents, and fellows
Continue to expand our community engagement and reach

Community Engagement and Advocacy

Milwaukee Public School involvement
Doctors’ Day at the Capitol
Wheelchair basketball at the Ability Center
Resident RBI Advocacy leaders serve as national and state AAP delegates
Advocacy corner in the weekly newsletter
International Learning Center: Refugee Health Project
Sports Physicals at selected schools to foster access to care and ability to participate for many student-athletes
Creative space to develop new community service and advocacy projects

Recruitment and Retention

RBI Committee Pre-Interview Season Open House and During Season social hours
Visiting Student Health Equity Program
Recruitment practices: Holistic reviews and processes; Mitigating bias training for our intern selection committee
Retention: Expanded efforts to foster culture of inclusion and belonging
Attendance at LMSA and SNMA national/regional meetings
Participation in pathway programs and diversity residency fairs with the Medical School
Connection with local LMSA, SNMA, APAMSA student organizations

Scholarship

Research arm of committee active work: Collecting a series of assessments to track resident knowledge, comfort, skills, and behavior in dealing with diversity in the workplace with the aim of using this information in scholarly activity to aid in further curricular development

Brilliant G. Nimmer, MD: Social Determinants of Health in Urgent Care, Keynote Speaker Presentation, Society of Pediatric Urgent Care Annual Meeting, March 13, 2025, Kansas City, MI

Paul Otto, Chondraah Holmes, Mike Weisgerber, Mike Levas, Abby Schuh: Implementation of a Microaggressions Reporting Tool Within a Pediatric Residency Training Program, Associate Program Directors Forum Platform Presentation, Chicago, IL, APPD 2024

D. Prasad S, Watson A, Trevino R, Jhin A, Wilson K, Román M, Akande O, Hwang M, Gundacker C. Auditing a Comprehensive Cultural Humility Curriculum: A Review and Next Steps of a Novel Educational Framework. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 2023

Barnes M, Ashoff H, Blankenburg R, Falusi L, Grow M, Gula A, Gustafson S, Laurent S, Li S, Mauro A, McPhillips H, Montez K, Nesiama J, Oddiri U, Ramos M, Poitevien P, Smith C, Tatem A, Turner D, Weisgerber M. Biased Assessments: Helping Programs Identify and Address Bias and Support Diverse Trainees. APPD Annual Meeting Virtual Pre-Conference Workshop, 2022.

Tatem A, Ramos M, Gustafson S, Trevino R, Gborkorquellie T, Falusi L, Grow M, Weisgerber M, Nesiama J. Su Ting-Li, Montez K, Mauro A, Laurent S, Turner D, Smith C, Gula A, Hanna E, Nelson B, Barnes M. DEI Crash Course for Faculty: Addressing Bias in Your Residency Program-APPD 2023 Pre-Conference Workshop Confronting Racism Action Team. Association of Pediatric Program Directors Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2023.

“Mental health crisis among US kids” featured the innovative approaches Children’s Wisconsin is taking to address the mental health crisis facing our kids. Brilliant G. Nimmer MD, Community pediatrician at Children’s Wisconsin Next Door Pediatrics primary care office practices at one of the first offices to have a behavioral health consultant join as part of the primary care team. Story appeared on 60 Minutes CBS on May 8, 2022.

Gilliam CA, Lurie B, Winn AS, Barber A, Jackson D, Weisgerber M, Unaka N. The role of competency based medical education in addressing health inequities and cultivating inclusive learning environments. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2024 Sep;54(9):101641. doi: 10.1016/j.cppeds.2024.101641. Epub 2024 Jun 8. PMID: 38851972

Weisgerber, M., Aylor, M., & Hilgenberg, S. (2025). A Year in (Re)View from the Association of Pediatric Program Directors: 40th Anniversary Edition. Academic Pediatrics, 25(4), 102803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2025.102803

Leadership/Scholarship Development

Many of our residents have participated in local and national leadership development programs.

APPD (Association of Pediatric Program Directors)

AIMS (Advancing Inclusiveness in Medical Education Scholars)
- Soore Akande, 2020-2021
- Chondraah Holmes, 2022-2023
- Michael Simpson, 2024-2025
- Kenya Donovan, 2025-2026
APPD Chief Collective
- Chondraah Holmes, Co-Chair 2023-2024
- Marisa Román, Communications Chair 2023-2024

APA New Century Scholars