James E Page, Jr.
VP and CDO
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Headquarters: Baltimore, MD
Business: Health Care
CEO: Paul B. Rothman
Website: www.hopkinsmedicine.org
VP AND CDO JAMES E PAGE, JR. Shares His D&I Views
“Diversity makes the difference between mediocre research and groundbreaking discoveries that can prolong life and alleviate suffering. Within clinical care, inclusionary practices ensure that we develop critical treatments, discover long awaited cures, and save lives. We also have the responsibility of teaching the next generation of nurses, doctors, scientists, and other health care providers about cultural competency as a critical skill that improves the welfare of patients, lessens health disparities, and creates world-class patient care.
“In my industry, if you don’t get diversity and cultural competency right, people die. By binding diversity to the business of health care, I ensure that Hopkins is a national and global leader in providing an extraordinary health care experience that is not only the safest, but also highly inclusive and culturally competent.”
Maximum D&I Impact
“There is no industry in which appreciating human diversity is as essential as it is in health care. Linguistic and cultural barriers to care can imperil lives. Increasing culturally responsive communications within hospital units supports the dignity and respect that are the pillars of successful medicine. Cultural understanding impacts patients, faculty, and staff.
“There are many natural synergies between D&I and medicine, exemplified by Hopkins’ new Center for Transgender Health, which has brought together experts from endocrinology, psychiatry, gynecology, plastic surgery, nursing, and D&I to build a research-based, evidence-supported interdisciplinary program that results in better outcomes and healthier patients.”
Advancing Diversity
“The year 2017 was an exciting one for diversity and inclusion at Johns Hopkins Medicine—a year of growth and centralization of D&I efforts system-wide:
- Johns Hopkins Center for Transgender Health has served more than 200 patients, with almost 20 undergoing gender affirmation surgeries
- Johns Hopkins’ Community Care- A-Van has served approximately 2,000 patients this year in poor, largely Latino, neighborhoods in southeast Baltimore.
- Through our Leadership Program, we have substantially increased the number of women and minorities in senior leadership positions.”
Plans for the Future
“In 2018, we will be focused on increasing engagement with patients and staff, and building bridges with those who face the most difficult challenges. We will also be working hard to continue to enhance the capacity and scope of the new Center for Transgender Health.
“Finally, we are seeking to improve our efforts to recruit, retain, and promote diverse faculty, particularly in the basic sciences, dovetailing with efforts throughout The Johns Hopkins University.”
