In this ongoing series, Emory Radiology team members reflect on and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion while also identifying opportunities for improvement. To learn more about This Is Us, or to submit your own story, visit https://med.emory.edu/departments/radiology/diversity/this-is-us/index.html or email Sam Marie Engle.
This quarter, we are celebrating Jewish Heritage Month and Asian American Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, both in May, and Pride Month in June.
*Denotes member of the Emory Radiology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
This quarter, we are celebrating Jewish Heritage Month and Asian American Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, both in May, and Pride Month in June.
*Denotes member of the Emory Radiology Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Shane Arrington
Director of Imaging Services, Emory University Hospital Midtown
As a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community, diversity, equity, and inclusion are central tenets for me in my daily leadership work. It is crucial that we create inclusive, safe working spaces that allow us to provide compassionate care to our diverse population of patients. Growing up in the "small-town" South, in a modest single parent family home, I felt marginalized and misunderstood for most of my childhood. I never quite felt like I fit in. For me, a successful career--or a successful future, for that matter--seemed so far out of reach. I felt unworthy. Fortunately, I found the field of health care very early in my adulthood and it changed my life. As I came to terms with who I am, and learned to love myself, it drove my desire to share with others the same love and acceptance I discovered within. Throughout my career in health care, I have been able to realize my dreams and achieve my goals. I can remember vividly how much I admired the director of radiology of the first hospital I worked at as a patient transporter at 18; he was my first mentor. Now, here I sit in that very same chair, over 25 years later: the whole experience seems unreal. As an Emory University graduate and an Emory Healthcare employee, I am tremendously grateful to be a part of a community with such a passion for DEI.
Director of Imaging Services, Emory University Hospital Midtown
As a proud member of the LGBTQI+ community, diversity, equity, and inclusion are central tenets for me in my daily leadership work. It is crucial that we create inclusive, safe working spaces that allow us to provide compassionate care to our diverse population of patients. Growing up in the "small-town" South, in a modest single parent family home, I felt marginalized and misunderstood for most of my childhood. I never quite felt like I fit in. For me, a successful career--or a successful future, for that matter--seemed so far out of reach. I felt unworthy. Fortunately, I found the field of health care very early in my adulthood and it changed my life. As I came to terms with who I am, and learned to love myself, it drove my desire to share with others the same love and acceptance I discovered within. Throughout my career in health care, I have been able to realize my dreams and achieve my goals. I can remember vividly how much I admired the director of radiology of the first hospital I worked at as a patient transporter at 18; he was my first mentor. Now, here I sit in that very same chair, over 25 years later: the whole experience seems unreal. As an Emory University graduate and an Emory Healthcare employee, I am tremendously grateful to be a part of a community with such a passion for DEI.
Zachary Bercu*
Associate Professor
I am proud to be me because my experiences are unique and they have provided me with incredible experiences in the world. Our personal narratives drive who we are and what compels us to make this world more just and more whole. Even though there is more work to be done, this department is a space to have these crucial conversations to empower one another. I am actively working to change unconscious bias and health-care inequity. Sometimes I fear being labeled because it undermines the personal narrative and challenges I faced to reach this point. May is National Jewish Heritage Month and that's important to me.
Associate Professor
I am proud to be me because my experiences are unique and they have provided me with incredible experiences in the world. Our personal narratives drive who we are and what compels us to make this world more just and more whole. Even though there is more work to be done, this department is a space to have these crucial conversations to empower one another. I am actively working to change unconscious bias and health-care inequity. Sometimes I fear being labeled because it undermines the personal narrative and challenges I faced to reach this point. May is National Jewish Heritage Month and that's important to me.
Leann Linam
Associate Professor
I am proud to be me because I am smart, strong, and beautiful. My family is mixed-race and I want my children to have the same opportunities I do. I appreciate Emory Radiology when it comes to DEI because everyone is equal and celebrated. I am actively working to change my biases and appreciate having the opportunities to do so.
Associate Professor
I am proud to be me because I am smart, strong, and beautiful. My family is mixed-race and I want my children to have the same opportunities I do. I appreciate Emory Radiology when it comes to DEI because everyone is equal and celebrated. I am actively working to change my biases and appreciate having the opportunities to do so.
Kiran Maddu*
Assistant Professor
I am always proud of my Indian heritage, which is diverse and multilinguistic. The geopolitical evolution of our society made us stronger, resilient, and adaptable from multiple foreign invasions and colonization. I come from a culture which is a great proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion at education and work places, which helped create a great harmony in institutes and eventually in society. Equal opportunities for all sects is a basice human right and a diverse population always has the advantage of a wider talent pool, more innovation, and better performance. Welcome the differences and embrace the similarities. I have been a part of Emory for the past 10 years and am appreciative of the work culture, which is accommodating of all races and backgrounds. Emory's culture helps me to work with a free mind and promotes a person to be a better human in most aspects of life. Like many immigrants, it was hard to assimilate into the work culture of America; however, the transition was smoother because of the amicable and collegial environment Emory has created. I am delighted to be part of the Emory Radiology DEI Committee and I am a strong believer that education should be equal opportunity to citizens irrespective of race, ethnicity, and migration status. I work to foster inclusion and awareness around multicultural education and take a culturally responsive approach to emphasizing the benefits of DEI in education.
Assistant Professor
I am always proud of my Indian heritage, which is diverse and multilinguistic. The geopolitical evolution of our society made us stronger, resilient, and adaptable from multiple foreign invasions and colonization. I come from a culture which is a great proponent of diversity, equity and inclusion at education and work places, which helped create a great harmony in institutes and eventually in society. Equal opportunities for all sects is a basice human right and a diverse population always has the advantage of a wider talent pool, more innovation, and better performance. Welcome the differences and embrace the similarities. I have been a part of Emory for the past 10 years and am appreciative of the work culture, which is accommodating of all races and backgrounds. Emory's culture helps me to work with a free mind and promotes a person to be a better human in most aspects of life. Like many immigrants, it was hard to assimilate into the work culture of America; however, the transition was smoother because of the amicable and collegial environment Emory has created. I am delighted to be part of the Emory Radiology DEI Committee and I am a strong believer that education should be equal opportunity to citizens irrespective of race, ethnicity, and migration status. I work to foster inclusion and awareness around multicultural education and take a culturally responsive approach to emphasizing the benefits of DEI in education.
Brian Malcolm
Manager, Outpatient Imaging Services, Emory St. Joseph's Hospital
Pride Month means celebration, honor, and support. Celebrating the love, freedom, and acceptance we feel today, honoring those who fought for equal rights and support for those still struggling with fear and rejection.
Manager, Outpatient Imaging Services, Emory St. Joseph's Hospital
Pride Month means celebration, honor, and support. Celebrating the love, freedom, and acceptance we feel today, honoring those who fought for equal rights and support for those still struggling with fear and rejection.
Andres Su*
Assistant Professor
I am proud to be Taiwanese-American and to have a personal connection to both the United States and Taiwan. Systemic racism and injustice affect primarily people unlike me in the United States. As someone who is relatively privileged, I believe that people like me need to use our privilege to help others access the same opportunities and resources. I know from conversations with people outside the system (including applicants for our training programs) that this department (and specifically the Division of Emergency and Trauma Imaging) is perceived as diverse. I myself experience it as diverse and accepting, and a culturally very comfortable place to work. As an East Asian man, I am not in the minority within medicine; however, I experience my minority status more acutely outside of my work environment, in particular when I travel within Georgia beyond Atlanta. Although I have not experienced overt racism myself, I am sometimes uncertain if I or my daughter are at risk of being targeted, or if a specific interaction was affected by racism or not. That uncertainty is, I think, one way in which racism operates.
Assistant Professor
I am proud to be Taiwanese-American and to have a personal connection to both the United States and Taiwan. Systemic racism and injustice affect primarily people unlike me in the United States. As someone who is relatively privileged, I believe that people like me need to use our privilege to help others access the same opportunities and resources. I know from conversations with people outside the system (including applicants for our training programs) that this department (and specifically the Division of Emergency and Trauma Imaging) is perceived as diverse. I myself experience it as diverse and accepting, and a culturally very comfortable place to work. As an East Asian man, I am not in the minority within medicine; however, I experience my minority status more acutely outside of my work environment, in particular when I travel within Georgia beyond Atlanta. Although I have not experienced overt racism myself, I am sometimes uncertain if I or my daughter are at risk of being targeted, or if a specific interaction was affected by racism or not. That uncertainty is, I think, one way in which racism operates.
Debra Weber
RN Care Coordinator
I am a caring, supportive, honest, and dedicated senior Emory University Hospital and Emory Radiology ambassador. I care about diversity, equity and inclusion because when we are included in a diversified and equitable environment, trust is created. When it comes to DEI, I am actively working to chage my opinion of exclusion within the department.
RN Care Coordinator
I am a caring, supportive, honest, and dedicated senior Emory University Hospital and Emory Radiology ambassador. I care about diversity, equity and inclusion because when we are included in a diversified and equitable environment, trust is created. When it comes to DEI, I am actively working to chage my opinion of exclusion within the department.