The IDI-funded LLCC Diversity & Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI) is making great progress this spring. The grant was awarded to the diagnostic medical sonography (DMS) program as a faculty recruitment tool with the goal of increasing the diversity of the health professions faculty pool.

A DEFI fellow, Tracey Benn-Cockayne, was selected to assist with a curriculum proposal for a new cardiovascular sonography (CVS) AAS degree program. Tracey is a registered echocardiographer who is from a minoritized group. She serves as the co-chair for the CVS Planning Committee along with current DMS Program Director Leigh Giles-Brown.

During her short time as a DEFI fellow, Tracey has developed and administered a workforce needs analysis survey which identified staffing shortages and the crucial need for a CVS program to be established in central Illinois. Tracey serves on all subcommittees for the CVS program planning process and presented progress notes during recent DMS Program Advisory Committee and CVS Planning Committee meetings. “Her expertise is invaluable to crafting the many sections of the required ICCB Form-20. Tracey’s details and insights are helping us design a quality CVS program that will benefit students and the workforce,” said Leigh Giles-Brown. Currently, Tracey is contributing to the review of all CVS curriculum components for alignment with accreditation and industry standards. The target completion date for submission to the LLCC curriculum approval process is this May.

In addition, Tracey has gone above and beyond the expectations of the fellowship by identifying two prospective student recruitment opportunities taking place in April. These events will give the DMS program an opportunity to present the current sonography program to more interested students.