Birth Equity Clinical Scholar Training Program (BEST)
A two-year program for KU School of Medicine residents, sponsored by the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Family Medicine, and Population Health.
About the Program
Mission
To educate, advocate, engage, and empower providers to create and sustain inclusive, accessible, and equitable maternal care.
Vision
Every birthing person receives quality and intentional prenatal, neonatal, and postpartum care.
Program
The Birth Equity Clinical Scholar Training Program is a two-year leadership development program designed to prepare medical residents for research and practice careers that advance birth equity. Scholars will benefit from birth equity training and research opportunities that will allow them to increase their understanding of respectful research and maternal and child health scholarship, network with local maternal health stakeholders, particularly Black-women-led community-based organizations and strengthen their communication skills and local and national maternal and child health policy insight.
Scholar Expectations
Birth Equity Scholars are expected to:
- Complete the online birth equity training (5-module online course)
- Attend monthly sessions and didactics
- Work with a mentor team, clinical, research and community member to conduct your project.
- Participate in virtual writing accountability groups to support progress in manuscripts
- Participate in the monthly virtual maternal and child health journal club
- Publish one research article and blog
- Gain a deeper understanding of one maternal and child health community-based organization through meeting attendance and/or research
- Participate in quarterly birth equity conversations - virtual coffee/tea
- Support KBEN research and evaluation activities
- Disseminate research results at the annual Resident Research Day
- Learn about policy-making in Kansas, advocate for a policy in Kansas
Reasonable accommodations will be made for Birth Equity Scholars to complete all activities.
Meet the Scholars
Rebecca Yang, M.D.
2nd Year BEST Scholar
I am a second-year Family Medicine resident. I am a St. Louis native but Kansas City has become my second home after spending the formative years of college here. In my down time, you can find me traveling, hiking, salsa dancing and working on getting my black belt in taekwondo (hopefully by the time I graduate residency!)
I felt drawn to maternal-child health during medical school and enjoyed working with this specific population during my first year of residency. Historically, medicine has had practices rooted in racism, disproportionately affecting the care and health of disenfranchised communities. In my training, it is important for me to recognize how this manifests in modern-day birth inequity as this will shape my future practice. Through open dialogue and partnership with the community, I look forward to learning and working towards improving birth outcomes for mom, baby and family together.
Noria McCarther, M.D., Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow (PGY-5)
2nd Year BEST Scholar
I wanted to participate in the BEST program because as a Black female physician, my commitment to eliminating the health disparities that Black women experience in the health system, particularly in the field of OB/GYN, is of utmost importance to me. I have spent a lot of time throughout my training immersing myself in the work of community organizations that lead the charge and joining the BEST program was a natural fit for the next step of my career. I'm looking forward to engaging networks in Kansas City that are committed to this important work and utilizing my skills to help translate this work to my daily clinical interactions and to implement systemic change within the hospital.
Brittany Elliott, M.D.
2nd Year BEST Scholar
I am a PGY2 Rural Family Medicine Resident at KU. Growing up in a rural community in Northern Ontario Canada, I experienced firsthand the disparities of health care in such regions, especially those of women’s health. Although the canvas here in Kansas is different than that of Northern Ontario, advocating for those who are underserved is one of the endeavors I set out to focus on throughout my career as a physician. The BEST program allows me to combine my passion for women’s health and caring for vulnerable populations in a unique way. I hope to learn more about those negatively affected by racial and social inequalities, and help bridge the gap in such communities, as every person deserves adequate prenatal, postpartum, and reproductive health care.
Leslie Whittenburg, M.D.
Erika Gazzetta, M.D., MPH
Sierra Miller, D.O., M.A.
Victoria Resendez, M.D.
Aleshia Thompson, M.D.
Eligibility and Application Information
The BEST Program is open to KU School of Medicine:
- Fellows in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology or Family and Community Medicine, and
- Medical residents in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology or Family and Community Medicine in their last two years of residency (PGY1 for Family and Community Medicine & PGY2 for Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Applications open in the spring of each year. When active, this page will be updated with an application link.
Questions?
For more information, please contact Oluoma Obi at oobi@kumc.edu.