UVM Medical Center’s Dr. Marissa Coleman Highlighted in National ‘DEI Officers to Know’ List for 2024

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont Medical Center’s senior leader for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is among hospital and health system DEI leaders recently highlighted by one of the nation’s leading medical news publication.

Marissa Coleman, PsyD (she/her), was named among the ‘111 hospital and health system chief diversity, equity and inclusion officers to know’ for 2024 by Becker’s Hospital Review. The publication noted that Dr. Coleman, who was named UVM Medical Center’s first Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in September of 2021, has led a number of initiatives focused on training, education and community engagement related to diversity, equity and inclusion. In June, her role expanded to include oversight of UVM Medical Center’s Patient and Family Experience Department.

Dr. Coleman’s leadership has led the hospital’s DEI team in the development of a DEI Education Series that has trained more than 75% of leaders at UVM Medical Center within two years. The team also launched a “Cultural Humility in Health Care” curriculum at the hospital, in addition to hosting community listening sessions in 2024 that highlighted disability awareness and worked to identify areas of focus for LGBTQIA+-affirming health care.

The initiatives, among other work overseen by Dr. Coleman, have earned UVM Medical Center recognition for its focus on DEI, health equity and positive outcomes achieved through the programs.

Earlier this summer, the hospital received the “Excellent Employment Outcomes” award from Project SEARCH, a one-year program that provides young adults with disabilities the opportunity to gain on-the-job skills and experience. To qualify for the award, at least 70 percent of participants at a business must achieve “competitive, integrated employment.” The hospital received the award for its work with the program’s 2022-23 cohort of interns.

Also this year, UVM Medical Center was recognized as an “LGBTQIA+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” by the Human Rights Campaign, in the group’s Health Equity Index. The designation highlights the hospital’s work adopting best-practices and developing policies that support LGBTQIA+ care.

In addition to in-house education and training programs, patient experience and policy initiatives, Dr. Coleman’s collaborative leadership has made way for initiatives that impact patients and the community in often-unnoticed ways. The hospital’s Hair Equity Project, which began in February, focuses on providing a wider range of hair care products to patients, specifically products used by Black patients and other patients of color. Spearheaded by the Community Health Improvement team and employee resource groups, UVM Medical Center has also partnered with a local hair care specialist, Pascale Onguende, to provide staff training on how to use the new hair care products, and to better recognize that hair care is an important aspect of health care.

In a separate initiative, Dr. Coleman’s team collaborated with patient registration leaders at the hospital to improve how health care workers gather gender identify information from patients, and how the organization collects and utilizes that data.

This fall, the University of Vermont Health Network DEI team will host the hospital’s third Annual Health Equity Summit – a joint effort by UVM Health Network, Larner College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the University of Vermont. The event will showcase DEI initiatives being developed and implemented locally and regionally, as the work dismantles institutional inequities that can result in poor health outcomes, while improving the patient experience and advancing health equity throughout the region.

Dr. Coleman, whose department also oversees hospital employee resource groups, creates staff training videos, and works tirelessly to improve health equity for patients and community members, called her inclusion in the list humbling and an indication that the hospital’s work around diversity, equity and inclusion continues to advance and improve the experiences of patients and employees at UVM Medical Center.

“Building relationships and working collaboratively to educate our employees and members of the communities we serve is the foundation of our department’s work,” said Dr. Coleman. “None of this work would be possible without the skilled team members that I am honored to work alongside. They are the change makers that inspire me every day. I’ve had the pleasure to work with many thoughtful and enthusiastic colleagues at UVM Medical Center and in our community, and we have made significant strides improving patients’ experience and fostering a culture where everyone feels seen, heard and valued. I continue to be honored to lead this work, and believe deeply that, working together, we will continue to achieve great things for our patients and our people, and improve health equity throughout our region.”

“It is no surprise that Dr. Coleman appears on this list yet again,” said Stephen Leffler, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer of UVM Medical Center. “Her expertise and experience have enabled our organization to make great strides as we continue to create a vision for health care that is equitable, compassionate, and welcoming for everyone. I am thankful for her leadership and insight, and the energy and positivity she and her entire team bring to this impactful work.”