LSU Department of Orthopaedics Taps Dr. Chris Marerro as Its New Diversity & Inclusion Officer (DIO)
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Chris Marrero has agreed to assume the role of
Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the department of orthopaedic surgery.
"Chris is well known for his quiet demeanor, his tireless work ethic, and his clinical
mastery in many subspecialties. What I have learned from my discussions with him that
he is also passionate about promoting diversity, he has a huge personal experience
with promoting diversity, and is already a national leader in the field," says Dr.
Robert Zura, Department Head.
In this new role, Dr. Marrero will advise on all aspects of departmental function
with an eye towards diversity and inclusion. He will work with existing resources
on campus, develop orthopaedic specific initiatives, and advise on all aspects of
departmental function with an eye towards diversity and inclusion. These duties include
but are not limited to:
- Providing guidance to the department in advancing equity and inclusion in faculty and staff recruitment, and faculty professional development activities (advancement/retention) consistent with SOM policy.
- GME trainee pipeline development and management for residents/fellows underrepresented in the profession, also inclusive of senior student electives/rotation efforts to expand diversity.
- Advancing professional development activities which strengthen the climate of equity and inclusion within all area of the department. These responsibilities will fully support department's function in advancing ACGME Diversity and Inclusion standards for GME.
LSU Health Diversity Mission:
The Louisiana State University School of Medicine at New Orleans believes that diversity
among leadership, faculty, and learners is essential to fulfilling the institution's
academic mission. The contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and perspectives
enriches the educational experience for all learners, enables us to better address
health care inequities, increases cultural competency in clinical care, improves service
to our community, and expands the scope of our scholarship. A diverse environment
also fosters learner understanding, and effective delivery of care to individuals
of diverse backgrounds, which is integral to the mission of the school. As an inclusive
community, we embrace the full range of human difference: race, gender, ethnicity,
age, culture, national origin, religious belief, physical ability, sexual orientation,
gender identity, socioeconomic class, and political convictions.
In alignment with the SOM Diversity policy we are committed to fostering growth in
the matriculation of African-American, Hispanic, Vietnamese, LGBT students as well
as students from underserved rural regions of Louisiana. Institutional efforts to
qualitatively strengthen the climate of inclusion and diversity of our learning community
are inclusive of a focus on the development of effective pipelines for recruitment
of students and residents from communities which are underrepresented in our region's
health professions workforce. The institutional mission of advancing the quality of
the educational climate, promoting effectiveness of health equity research, and fully
engaging equitable clinical service is supported by a focus on the recruitment and
development of basic science and clinical faculty, and senior academic leadership
who are underrepresented in our region's academic medical community with an emphasis
on women, African American, Hispanic, Vietnamese, and LGBT faculty.
