Division of Infectious Diseases

Diversity and Inclusion


The Infectious Diseases Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is comprised of faculty and trainees dedicated to promoting and advancing DEI within the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases.

The committee’s mission is to cultivate a diverse, inclusive, and anti-racist work environment that promotes equity in service delivery, patient care, career opportunities and advancement for all members of the division and the people we serve.

To achieve this mission, the division’s DEI Committee engages in a range of activities focused on three main pillars:

  • Faculty and fellowship recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion education and training and faculty development
  • Building interpersonal relationships

These activities have included, but are not limited to:

  • Wording on job announcements
  • Dissemination of job announcements
  • Unconscious bias training
  • Diversity reflected in our fellowship, faculty, and staff
  • Division wide 2 week annual Equity Challenges
  • Team building events
  • Service events (ie winter kids for unhoused, serving meals at the Mission)
  • Review team for fellow applicants
  • “Second look” visit for underrepresented in medicine applicants
  • Outreach of fellowship program directors to HBCU institutions
  • Anti-racism book club
  • Health equity fellow-led case conference
  • Sharing resources from VUMC and Department of Medicine Diversity Liaison committees
  • Equity ID Grand Rounds

Through these efforts, the division’s DEI Committee aims to foster a sense of belonging and community within the Division of Infectious Diseases and to contribute to the broader VUMC and Department of Medicine missions to make diversity and inclusion intentional by promoting health equity and addressing health disparities in our society.

Vanderbilt DEI resources

Internal resources for VUMC employees (Requires login)

Diversity Committee

Anna Person, MD

Professor of Medicine
Diversity Laision, Department of Medicine

Peter Rebeiro, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine

Christina Fiske, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Kelly Dooley, MD, PhD, MPH

Professor of Medicine
Director, Divison of Infectious Diseases

Karen Bloch, MD, MPH

Professor of Medicine

Celestine Wanjalla, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Henrique Serezani, PhD

Associate Professor of Medicine