Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Latest News

Faculty Spotlight

Heather R. Faulkner, MD, MPH, FACS

Assistant Professor of Surgery, Emory University Division of Plastic Surgery, Director, Clinical Research Program

Dr. Heather R. Faulkner is originally from New York City. She earned her MD at the University of Southern California and her MPH at the Harvard School of Public Health. She did general surgery residency at the University of Southern California, plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and fellowship in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. She was on the faculty of Mass General/Harvard Medical School from 2015-2021 and joined the Emory Division of Plastic Surgery in 2021 as the Director of the Emory Plastic Surgery Clinical Research Program. Her practice focuses on aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery, body contouring, and gender affirming surgery of the chest and breasts. She holds committee membership, leadership, and elected positions in multiple national and regional plastic surgery organizations.

Dr. Faulkner is a member of WPATH, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. WPATH provides evidence-based medical, surgical, and psychiatric guidelines for treating gender diverse patients. Dr. Faulkner co-directs an Emory School of Medicine elective in gender affirming healthcare with Dr. Jason Schneider from the Department of Medicine. During this elective, medical students learn about the holistic care of gender diverse patients by rotating with Emory specialists in medicine, endocrinology, and surgical subspecialties, learning about gender affirming hormone treatment, primary care for gender diverse individuals, and gender affirming surgery. For years and at multiple institutions, Dr. Faulkner has been providing staff and provider education on creating a safe space and affirming environment for patients, and she is the co-lead for the Emory Healthcare Implementation Team for Competency Education for the DEI Steering Committee. The goal of this team is to ensure that all Emory Healthcare staff and providers receive training to provide respectful and inclusive care. Dr. Faulkner is passionate about providing equitable, safe, high-quality, compassionate care to all patients.

DEI Awards

Emory at Grady Community Impact Award 2023

Randi Smith, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Surgery

Claude Organ Jr. Resident Research Competition, SBAS 2023

Second Place: Emma, Crichton, MD

Emory SBAS Travel Awards 2023

These awards will allow the following general surgery residents to attend the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons:

Emma Crichton, MD
James Keiler, MD

Emory Department of Surgery DEI Awards 2022

Allan Pickens, MD, Professor of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Jeroson Williams, MD, General Surgery Resident

Emory SBAS Travel Awards 2022

These awards will allow the following general surgery residents to attend the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons:

Emma Crichton, MD
Goeto Dantes, MD
Jeroson Williams, MD

Trending Emory DEI News

Emory Surgery hosts 2nd Rogsbert Phillips-Reed DEI Lectureship

Emory University's Department of Surgery hosted their second annual Rogsbert Phillips-Reed DEI Lectureship on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The featured speaker for the event was Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason, who serves in the American College of Surgeons as as its first Medical Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Dr. Simpson Mason's presentation was titled "Inclusive Evidence: ACS Raises the Bar."

The Rogsbert Phillips-Reed DEI Lectureship was established by Emory University’s School of Medicine Surgery Department on February 2, 2023, the first Department of Surgery Grand Rounds lecture named after an African American. Dr. Phillips-Reed graduated from Columbia University’s School of Physicians and Surgeons in 1977 before becoming the second woman and first African-American woman to successfully complete Emory University’s Surgical program in 1982.

DEI Rogsbert Phillips-Reed Lectureship Year 2 image 2

Emory Team attends 2023 Michigan Women's Surgical Collaborative

On November 2-3, 2023, several Department of Surgery faculty and trainees attended the Michigan Women's Surgical Collaborative at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Heather Faulkner spearheaded this effort but unfortunately could not attend. Four faculty including Drs. Randi Smith, Terrah Paul Olson, Olamide Alibi and Allison Linden and one resident, Dr. Elissa Falconer, attended. Drs. Linden and Falconer were recipients of a new DOS DEI scholarship (Rise and Thrive) that supported their attendance.

"The Symposium was a two-day jam-packed event of a variety of topics that pertained to embracing risk by taking chances and embracing your career identify," said Dr. Falconer. "Different speakers from across the nation spoke about disrupting the status quo, finding success off the beaten path, embracing identify, defining success and your ideal career, career transitions, and fostering a supportive environment. The opportunity to connect with new colleagues, learn from them and build new connections was fulfilling, leaving me feeling recharged about my trajectory in surgical career."

Grady Surgery Faculty take part in Anti-Racism Retreat

Emory DOS members of the Grady Surgery Faculty took part in a two-day retreat on October 3 & 4, 2023 in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine. The seminar included a team-building experience for the Grady, Emory, and Morehouse team to tackle important DEI issues that are integral to delivering great education, patient care, and research

The seminar was led by Al Vivian, of BASIC Diversity, Inc. and faculty members participated in ground-breaking exercises that provided useful tools to better communicate with patients and colleagues.

Past DEI News

Randi Smith receives Emory SOM Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award

Randi Smith, MD, Vice Chair of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Department of Surgery, has been chosen to receive the Emory School of Medicine Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award for 2022. This honor is bestowed upon a faculty member who has made significant achievements in ensuring that the climate of the SOM is characterized by inclusivity and organizational equity through leveraging of the varied attributes of diversity in our community.

In Oklahoma, Emory builds relationships with the Muscogee Nation

Robust community engagement will inform design of twin memorials