Abstract
Increased diversity in academic institutions may potentially result in more diversity seen in practicing clinicians. Colleges and universities have recently implemented strategies to diversify their faculty. However, current efforts and scholarly publications are often limited to recruitment and retention strategies. This article aims to provide a comprehensive DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) critique on professional development through the personal journey of two Latinx physical therapists in higher education on a non-tenured, clinician-educator track. A personal narrative of the two authors examines some barriers and challenges faced, as well as accounting for catalysts that facilitated their professional development at a tier one academic institution. These perspectives follow the model principles adopted by the University of Pittsburgh. Program for underrepresented minority (URM) faculty members, which considers URM educational background, recruitment, retention, research opportunities, community building, counseling, mentoring, scientific writing, and scientific presentation skills training. To create conditions where URM individuals can thrive, organizations should resist using a "quick fix"by only attempting to hire diverse individuals and fill a quota. Professional development efforts should assess failures and accomplishments, fostering an environment of trust to address the specific needs of URM faculty members to ensure their success in their academic journey.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 269-273 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of allied health |
Volume | 51 |
Issue number | 3 |
State | Published - 2022 |
Funding
Roberto López-Rosado (RLR): “I am the product of public education in Puerto Rico. Education was the only gateway to a safe and secured future where I could get out of poverty. My undergraduate experience was funded by scholarships that included the Puerto Rico Governor’s College Scholarship program (a one-time award of $1,000) and Pell Grants. I felt lucky. I majored in biology. To supplement my income during college, I worked for 4 years as part of the Minority Biomedical Research Support program (MBRS). MBRS showed me what bench research was all about. I struggled with losing my mother, coming out of the closet as a gay man, taking care of younger siblings, and a motor vehicle collision that affected my memory for some time. These challenges pushed me back into poverty, and once again, I knew instinctively that graduate studies could be a way out for me. After working for a few years after college, I enrolled in a Master’s in Biomedical Science program, with a concentration in Gross Anatomy. I knew I wanted to teach in a higher education organization. Jobs were scarce in Puerto Rico for a full-time student; I picked up a few newspaper routes before going to school and later sold diet frozen foods to support myself. I selected a master’s degree over a PhD because I needed to get back into the workforce and generate income. I completed my Master’s in Anatomy in 2 years. Following graduation, I started teaching anatomy full-time in Puerto Rico. My salaries were meager, and I accumulated student debt I could not repay with my earnings. Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave Puerto Rico and seek employment in the mainland US. I landed as a visiting professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) in Fort Myers, FL. FGCU opened many possibilities: it allowed me to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy while I worked full-time for the university, using my employee tuition benefit. I earned my Master’s in Physical Therapy (MSPT) in 2007, and in 2009 I finished my transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT) from The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York. I worked for 9 years at FGCU. This position gave me financial stability, and I was able to start repaying my student loans. FGCU gave me many opportunities, but without research experience and training, getting promoted to the instructor rank was difficult, if not impossible. This was when I decided to take the most significant risk professionally and move to Chicago to pursue non-formal research training at a tier one institution, Northwestern University (NU).” Carolina Carmona Rada (CCR): “I graduated from Univer-sidad del Valle in Cali, Colombia, from a Physical Therapy program in 1998. Since I started the program, I had in mind to pursue a graduate degree. I worked for a couple of years after graduation, in the outpatient setting and as a clinical instructor in a few academic institutions. I knew instinctively that to further my training and gain the experience needed; I would have to move abroad. Many of my classmates emigrated, looking for better job opportunities outside Colombia. My long-term goal was to become a researcher. In 2003, I decided to travel to the US to improve my English skills, which were considerably basic at the time, get licensed in the US as a physical therapist, and secure an academic position.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine