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Glossary

KU Medical Center students kneeling during a black lives matter event

These glossary items have been crafted with the mission, vision and goals of the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) in mind.

Terms

The right or ability to be educated, participate in activities, advance in the workplace, or receive health care in a manner that does not depend on factors such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, perceived intellectual ability, income, or educational attainment.

At KUMC, we are responsible for our goals, actions and performance related to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and will be committed to becoming a true partner in this process.

As a medical center desiring to lead the nation in caring, healing, teaching and discovering, we strive to provide the opportunities for students and employees to grow in their academic and professional careers, and to support the efforts of people and teams on campus helping elevate the status and influence of groups of people who have often been marginalized.

As citizens of the KUMC workforce and student body, and the surrounding communities in which we study and work, we should conduct ourselves with politeness and exhibit courteous behaviors befitting that of a leading academic medical center.

The collective mix of our values, traditions, behaviors, events, initiatives, leadership, and attitudes that shape and contribute to the relational, physical, social, and emotional environment at KUMC.

The state of being in which all human differences are valued and incorporated into the fabric of our community.

The fair treatment for all people according to their circumstances, providing access, tools and opportunities allowing individuals the ability to succeed and advance in their endeavors.

The physical, technological, and cultural surroundings in which we work, study, and receive patient care, along with the personnel we encounter, and the benefits and services provided by the institution.

Our behavior towards, and dealings with, other individuals should be impartial, reasonable, honest, and just.

Disparities in health that are judged to be unfair, unjust, avoidable, and unnecessary, which systematically burden populations rendered vulnerable by socioeconomic, legal, and political forces (source: Krieger N. A glossary for social epidemiology: part II. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2001;55(55):693–700).


The act of creating environments in which any individual or group is welcomed, respected, supported and valued.

The deliberate combination of events, places or times which provide chances for greater progress or success

The considerate and thoughtful attention to the feelings, rights, or traditions of our fellow co-workers, students, patients, and community partners, understanding that education and communication are important aspects of respect.

Regarding the three academic campuses of KUMC in Kansas City, Wichita, and Salina, and locations of The University of Kansas Health System at 39th and Rainbow and campuses at Indian Creek and Strawberry Hill, ‘surrounding communities’ generally refers to locations within Wyandotte, Johnson, Sedgwick, Saline, and Jackson (MO) counties, including local neighborhoods in Kansas City, such as Argentine, Armourdale, Hanover Heights, Roanoke, Rosedale, Strawberry Hill, and Volker.

The high regard held by our faculty, staff, students, and community partners, that our efforts are worth doing, useful and important.

Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

University of Kansas Medical Center
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Mailstop 2015
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: 913-588-3319
Fax: 913-588-1412