About CCCEC

Culturally competent care is defined as the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to provide quality clinical care to patients from different cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds. It involves tailoring delivery to meet patients' social, cultural and linguistic needs in an effort to improve outcomes and eliminate disparities in healthcare.

Culturally competent care improves the quality of care for all patients by treating each patient interaction as a cross-cultural encounter.

Education in cultural competence has emerged because of three major factors:

Cultural competence education has been deemed critical in preparing doctors to meet the health needs of our growing, diverse population. As patients present varied perspectives, values, beliefs, and behaviors regarding health and well-being, it is important that doctors be culturally competent communicators.
The Institute of Medicine report “Unequal Treatment” recommended cultural competence education as a method of improving doctor-patient communication and eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare. The report stated that racial and ethnic minorities receive lower quality healthcare, even when access to insurance and socioeconomic status are controlled. In addition to race and ethnicity, lower quality healthcare is often associated with a person's national origin, limited English proficiency, religion, age, social class, gender, sexual orientation, physical and mental disability, immigration status and obesity.
The Liaison Council on Medical Education (LCME) now has standards that require cultural competence education as part of undergraduate medical curricula.

In the fall of 2001, a committee—composed of deans, society masters, administrators, faculty, staff and students—was formed at Harvard Medical School (HMS) to develop a curriculum to train medical students to deliver culturally competent care. The Culturally Competent Care Education Committee (CCCEC) became a standing committee for the Program in Medical Education in the fall of 2003, with subcommittees on faculty and curriculum development.

The mission of the CCCEC is to foster the development of faculty and curriculum that prepare students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide quality care for every patient and eliminate health disparities.

CCCEC Goals

The goals of the CCCEC are to:

Integrate cultural competence content into all core courses in the existing HMS curriculum.
Ensure that students are taught by faculty members who have participated in faculty development programs on culturally competent care.
Collaborate with the Division of Service Learning to provide structured opportunities in local and international service projects to develop skills and knowledge in community health and cross-cultural care.
Monitor the quality of culturally competent care education provided by HMS to medical students using the Tool for Assessing Cultural Competency Training (TACCT) developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Develop educational opportunities for medical students and faculty members to learn about the association between race, ethnicity, culture and medicine.

Educational Objectives

The objectives of current and developing curricular components are aligned with those of the Association of American Medical Colleges and enhance the school's goal to graduate humane physicians. They include:

Defining cultural competence, culture, race and ethnicity.
Exploring the epidemiology of the health of different populations.
Discussing the cultures of allopathic medicine and other approaches.
Critically examining the effects of bias, stereotyping, discrimination and racism.
Critically examining the extent of healthcare disparities and their underlying causes.
Developing skills to explore one's own healthcare beliefs and those of patients.
Developing listening skills to communicate and negotiate with each patient, with sensitivity to cultural differences.

Faculty Development

For faculty members, the CCCEC faculty development program offers:

Professional Development in the form of lectures, workshops, exposure to the literature and longitudinal content exploration that focus on helping faculty increase their knowledge of CCC issues.
Personal Development to address the values, attitudes and needs of faculty members at different stages in their career.
Instructional Development that utilizes a “train the trainer” model through which faculty members hone their instructional skills and are prepared to become CCC educators, bringing their knowledge of the commitment to CCC back to their respective clinical and academic environments.

Program Activities

The CCCEC is involved in numerous activities designed to instruct medical students in issues of culturally competent care and to educate faculty members to confidently and comfortably address these issues in the curriculum. Current CCCEC activities include:

Introducing first-year medical students to the literature on CCC.
Conducting orientation sessions on how to deliver culturally competent healthcare.
Conducting sessions on ethno-specific healthcare and cross-cultural issues as part of the Social Medicine Commons lecture series.
Providing HMS faculty and students with a culturally competent care primer designed to provide guidance on how to incorporate multicultural themes into clerkships.
Developing a Web-based faculty resource center on culturally competent care education.
Writing grants designed to support CCC education activities.

Future Activities

In the future, the CCCEC will be involved in integrating culturally competent care into additional core and elective courses, researching and writing grants to support program activities, producing videos on culturally competent care education, and developing train-the-trainer activities.

We eagerly invite you—faculty, staff, students, community members—to join us in making healthcare disparities a thing of the past. Becoming an active member of the CCCEC is simple. Call (617) 432-0553 or e-mail cccec@hms.harvard.edu for more information.

The CCCEC is supported by a Steering Committee and subcommittees on Faculty Development and Curriculum Development.

Listed alphabetically by last name
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Clare Abeln, M.B.A.
Manager of Community Outreach Programs
Joslin Diabetes Center

Ronald. A. Arky, M.D.
Master, Francis Weld Peabody Society
Charles S. Davidson Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital

Amy Avitabile
Communications Assistant
Office for Diversity and Community Partnership
Harvard Medical School

Jennifer Badot
Staff Assistant
Center of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities
Harvard Medical School

Linda Louise Barnes, Ph.D.
Lecturer on Social Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Gary G. Bennett, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Joseph R. Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H. (Chair - Curriculum Subcommittee)
Director of Multicultural Education
Senior Scientist, Institute for Health Policy
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital

Cesario Filho Bianchi, Ph.D., M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Judy Bigby, M.D.
Associate Professor of Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Paul Boyce, M.D.
Clinical Fellow in Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Enrique Caballero, M.D.
Clinical Investigator/Endocrinologist
Assistant Director of Continuing Education
Director of the Latino Diabetes Initiative
Joslin Diabetes Center

Martha Cesena, M.D.
Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry
Children's Hospital

Elisa Choi, M.D.
Instructor in Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Michael D. Crittenden, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Anthony V. D’Amico, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Master, Oliver Wendell Holmes Society
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Carmon J. Davis, M.D.
Instructor of Pediatrics
Children's Hospital Boston

Jennifer Doyle, M.A.
Lecturer on Surgery
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Stephanie Eisenstat, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Massachusetts General Hospital

Daniel Federman, M.D.
Carl W. Walter Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Leonor Fernandez, M.D.
Instructor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Elizabeth Ferrenz
Harvard Medical School Student
William Bosworth Castle Society

Lilit Garibyan
Harvard Medical School Student
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society

Don Gibbons
Associate Dean for Public Affairs
Harvard Medical School

Dennis Girard, Ed.D.
Clinical Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital

Byron J. Good, Ph.D., B.D.
Department Chair
Professor of Medical Anthropology
Harvard Medical School

Daniel A. Goodenough, Ph.D.
Takeda Professor of Cell Biology
Harvard Medical School

Robert Graham, M.D.
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Alexander R. Green, M.D.
Research Fellow in Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Janet P. Hafler, Ed.D. (Chair, Faculty Development Subcommittee)
Director of Faculty Development
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Children’s Hospital Boston

Gordon P. Harper, M.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School

E.J. Herskovits, M.D., Ph.D.
HMS Geriatrics Fellowship
Harvard Medical School

Alexander Iribarne
Harvard Medical School Student
Walter Bradford Cannon Society

Rose Kakoza
Harvard Medical School Student
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society

Samuel Kennedy, Ph.D.
Lecturer on Program in Medical Education
Harvard Medical School

Edward Krupat, PhD (Chair, Evaluation subcommittee)
Associate Professor of Psychology
Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Hospital
Director of Evaluation
Harvard Medical School

Gia Landry
Harvard Medical School Student
Walter Bradford Cannon Society

Adrienne Lara, M.D.
Instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Harvard Medical School

Sue Ellen Levkoff, SC.D.
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Roxana Llerena-Quinn, Ph.D. (Co-Chair Synergies and Online Resource Center Subcommittee)
Program Manager
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society
Clinical Instructor in Psychology
Children’s Hospital Boston

Beth Lown, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Mount Auburn Hospital

Janine Maritza Mathó, M.A.
Assistant Director
Center for Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities

Robin Mayfield, M.D.
Instructor in Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital

Graham McMahon, M.B., B.Ch., M.R.C.P.I.
Research Fellow in Medicine
Harvard Medical School

Tiffany McNair
Harvard Medical School
Walter Bradford Cannon Society

Marlene Meyer, J.D., M.D.
Instructor in Anaesthesia
Massachusetts General Hospital

Elizabeth Miller, M.D., Ph.D. (Co-Chair - Synergies and On-line Resource Center)
Instructor of Pediatrics
Massachusetts General Hospital

Areille Y. Mizrahi-Arnaud, M.D.
Instructor of Anaesthesia
Children's Hospital Boston

Lia Moriguchi
Harvard Medical School Student
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society

Elizabeth Moses
Workforce Development and Resources Specialist
Joslin Diabetes Center

Barbara Ogur, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Cambridge Hospital

Nancy E. Oriol, M.D.
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Associate Professor of Anesthesia
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Susan Pauker, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Antoinette S. Peters, Ph.D. (Vice-Chair Curriculum Subcommittee)
Director of Curriculum Development
Assistant Professor of Ambulatory Care and Prevention

William Polkinghorn
Harvard Medical School Student
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society

Alvin Poussaint, M.D.
Faculty Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Professor of Psychiatry
Judge Baker Children’s Center

Radhika Ramanan, M.D. (Vice-Chair, Evaluation Subcommittee)
Instructor in Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Miguel Ramirez
Harvard Medical School Student
Francis Weld Peabody Society

Sharon Redd, M.D.
Instructor in Anaestheisa
Children's Hospital Boston

Joan Y. Reede, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.
Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership
Associate Professor of Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital

Hope A. Ricciotti, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Emily P. Rickards, M.A.
Program Officer, Oliver Wendell Holmes Society
Harvard Medical School

Joyce Aba Sackey-Acheampong, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Jason Sanders
Harvard Medical School Student
Walter Bradford Cannon Society

Laurie Schmitt, Pharm.D.
Department of Pharmacy Practice
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Eva Schoenfeld, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor in Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital

Kitt Shaffer, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Radiology
Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Helen M. Shields, M.D.
Associate Master, Oliver Wendell Holmes Society
Associate Professor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Monica Stallworth, M.D., M.P.H
Instructor in Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital

Elsie Taveras, M.D.
Instructor in Ambulatory Care and Prevention
Ambulatory Care and Prevention
Children’s Hospital Boston

William C. Taylor, M.D.
Associate Master, William Bosworth Castle Society
Associate Professor of Medicine
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

George Thibault, M.D.
Director, The Academy
Professor of Medicine
V.P. of Clinical Affairs
Partners Healthcare System
Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Alcy Torres, M.D.
Instructor in Neurology
Children's Hospital Boston

Nhi-Ha Thuy Trinh, M.D.
Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry
Massachusetts General Hospital

Beverlee A. Turner
Program Coordinator
Office of Recruitment and Multicultural Affairs
Harvard Medical School

Asher Abebe Turney, M.D.
Clinical Fellow in Surgery
Massachusetts General Hospital

Trudy VanHouten, Ph.D.
Clinical Instructor in Radiology
Harvard Medical School

Kirsten Ward, M.S., R.C.E.P.
Exercise Physiologist and Clinical Program Coordinator
Joslin Diabetes Center

Monica Weaver, CAGS
Harvard Administrative Fellow
Oliver Wendell Holmes Society

Patricia Flynn Weitzman, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Augustus A. White III, M.D., Ph.D. (Chair, CCCEC Steering Committee)
Master, Oliver Wendell Holmes Society
Ellen and Melvin Gordon Professor of Medical Education
Professor of Orthopedic Surgery
Harvard Medical School

Francis Yang, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School Research Fellow
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Jim Zuckerman, M.D.
Instructor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology
Brigham and Women's Hospital

	About CCCEC
	What is Culturally Competent Care?
	The Need for Education in Cultural Competence
	The Culturally Competent Care Committee at HMS
	CCCEC Members