Diversity and Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI)
Leigh Giles-Brown, DMS program director
Leigh Giles-Brown and Tracey Benn-Cockayne
The Diversity and Equity Fellowship Initiative (DEFI) was selected for LLCC Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion (IDI) Grant funding in 2022-23 and enabled LLCC to pay a highly qualified sonographer who is a member of a minoritized group to help lead and develop curriculum for a new cardiovascular sonography (CVS) degree program.
The DEFI program successfully met all project goals. A minority echocardiographer was recruited to serve as co-chair of the CVS planning team. She was instrumental in organizing meeting participants and the timely completion of the ICCB Form 20 proposal. The DEFI program proved to be an effective recruitment tool for minority faculty as the 2023 DEFI fellow has indicated her desire to become an instructor at LLCC. The DEFI fellowship served to increase program exposure to potential students through two events that the 2023 DEFI fellow arranged. One was a speaking event at a local high school, and the other was an informational opportunity at a minority health fair. Both events were well-received by participants who expressed interest in sonography and other health program offerings at LLCC.
Be the change
Applications are currently being accepted through Nov. 30, 2023, for LLCC’s IDI Grant program for 2023-24! The goal of the grant is to prompt, identify and support innovative proposals that incorporate inclusivity and enhance diversity at LLCC.