A Novel Curriculum Review Process to Initiate the Incorporation of Anti-Racist Principles Into Epidemiology Course Work.

There is growing acknowledgement of the legacy of white supremacy and racism in the discipline of epidemiology. To begin to address this, our Department undertook a systematic effort to begin addressing institutionalized racism and inclusive teaching in our courses. In July 2020, we introduced a new tool (the "Course Development Plan" [CDP]) to advance our curriculum. The CDP includes two components: (1) a guideline document that provides strategies on how to modify curriculum and classroom teaching to incorporate anti-racism and principles of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI); and (2) a structured worksheet for instructors to share EDI and anti-racism practices they already incorporate and practices they plan to incorporate to their class. Worksheets for each class are submitted prior to the beginning of the quarter and are reviewed by a peer faculty member and at least one Epidemiology student; reviewers provide written feedback on the CDP worksheet. Further evaluation is ongoing to assess the impact of the CDP process on classroom climate. We present this Commentary about our Department's efforts, the challenges we faced, and our hopes for next steps.