Equity is Doable, Part 2: Diverse Recruiting – A Blog Series by Ryan Adcock

Practical Steps Organizations Can Take to be More Equitable

At Cradle Cincinnati, we believe that if Cincinnati’s employers and service providers are more equitable, our birth outcomes will be more equitable too. Conversations about racial equity are often filled with academic jargon and can feel more philosophical than practical. This is the second in a series of posts where we will outline real life decisions Cradle Cincinnati is making in an attempt to grow into a more equitable organization.  

Successful organizations hire well. And, increasingly, there is a shared understanding that hiring well includes hiring a diverse team that can tackle problems from a variety of perspectives. Still, too frequently, the best candidate for the job is selected from a pool that was never that diverse in the first place. 

The University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s OB/GYN department recently recruited its most diverse resident class in history. We asked Dr. Michael A. Thomas, who chairs the Department, to share what it took to accomplish this.

Why was it important for you to prioritize diversity in this year’s Resident class? 

Very few African American women are physicians in our community. So much so, that I hear stories from African American doctors in our community who get hugged by their patients when they realize that their doctor looks like them. So, we want to lead the way in changing that.

Describe what a typical resident recruitment process looks like – one that has maybe led to mostly white classes. 

Everybody wants to recruit the best and the brightest. And, sometimes, I think people rely too heavily on test scores to try to get the best doctors. And, it’s not like you can’t get diversity by using just test scores. But you’re going to get more texture if you use other parameters beyond just scores alone because being able to do well on an exam lets me know that you know the material...but it doesn't mean you will be the greatest physician that is lucky enough to say they were trained at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.  Therefore, you have to combine the knowledge, with how they interact with patients and problem solving. In addition, we need doctors who understand our community and who understand what it takes to be a compassionate and caring physician for all people. 

What extra steps did you take to ensure that the pool of candidates was as diverse as possible?

First of all, you need to get a diverse set of people in the room when you are making decisions at every step of the process. We wanted to look at gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation and think very holistically about our approach to diversity. So, we invited people into the room and into the decision making process who reflected those experiences. We wanted to make sure people who hadn’t always been given an opportunity in the past, got an opportunity through our process. Our final class of residents shows that. 

We also greatly increased the number of applicants we interviewed. The quickest process is not at all the same as the best process. We went out of our way to bring in a broad set of candidates even though that meant more work for us.  

What did you do to convince minority candidates that yours would be an institution that would welcome them?

We included our office of Diversity and Inclusion in the process. When we found a good candidate, we worked to hard to make sure they knew they were wanted here - to feel that they could be comfortable here. I can’t express how important it is for Residents to know that they will be nurtured, will be educated and will have the opportunity to serve a diverse community of patients.

I came here as a Fellow, uncertain whether I would stay here in Cincinnati. 32 years later, I am the Chair of the Department and know that this is now my forever home. Having a mentor mattered for me. I’ve been embraced in this community and want to offer that same embrace to the next generation of Cincinnati’s doctors.

What advice would you have for someone starting a hiring process that wants their process to be equitable?

Anyone in the decision-making process of hiring needs to be willing to look outside what makes them most comfortable. It is very important that you don’t overlook good candidates who don’t come from the same background as you. You need to take many factors into account – there are great candidates out there who you may never think about if your criteria for hiring is too strict. You can still have the best and brightest while maintaining a diversity and inclusion lens in your hiring process.    

The effort needs to be very intentional. You need a strategy about what you want your workforce to look like – it is unlikely to happen by accident. 

Dr. Michael Thomas is Chair of the Department of OB/GYN at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.