Diversity

We strongly believe in the value of diversity in our training programs and in the clinical experiences for our housestaff. Our Stanford Internal Medicine Residency program is comprised of a very diverse group of housestaff and faculty, from various life experiences and backgrounds with origins from all across the country and the world (see map). We believe this diversity provides a wealth of experiences and perspectives that contribute invaluably to the strength of our program.

We value and strive to foster diversity in the clinical environments our housestaff training, as we believe academic medicine has a key role to play in addressing health care disparities and providing care for the underserved. The Bay Area is home to one of the most diverse populations in the country - with particularly large populations from Latin America, South/Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. As a tertiary care center, Stanford serves large underserved populations throughout Northern California as well as those in our own backyard. Every member of our housestaff spends clinical time at the Free Clinics in addition to their work in our three teaching hospitals. Stanford University Hospital is one of the largest local providers for MediCal patients (California's Medicaid system). Stanford also has one of the top interpreter services in the country, attracting many ethnic minority patients from diverse backgrounds.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is the county hospital for Santa Clara County and cares for a nearly-exclusively underserved population, one of the larger county systems in California. The Palo Alto VA serves a local underserved, including a large homeless population, and is a tertiary referral site for Northern California. Each of our three continuity clinic sites focuses strongly on care for the underserved, and one of the clinics (Fair Oaks) is a county clinic for San Mateo county. Our residents also have the unique opportunity to spend a 6-week rotation overseas as part of the Stanford/Yale Johnson & Johnson Global Health Scholars program allowing for the opportunity to care for underserved communities around the world.

Stanford’s Center of Excellence in Diversity in Medical Education remains committed to increasing the diversity of leaders pursuing careers in clinical practice, research, and health policy and partners with our residency program to continue to foster such opportunities.