The Diversity in Education blog is a site dedicated to the Diversity in Education program of the Mayo Clinic?s educational arm. Written by Jessica Silva, a Mayo Clinic College of Medicine student, most of the entries in the blog profile staff and students of the Mayo Clinic are racially diverse. Interviews focus on the experiences, work, specialties, and goals of Mayo Clinic?s staff and students that have racial affiliations ranging from African-American to Hispanic and even Native American. There are also a number of entries on the writer?s personal experiences, particularly with her academic life.
What the blog is all about
An entry entitled American “City Indian” Physician Research Scientist: Dr. Judith Kaur profiles Dr. Judith Kaur, one of only two Native American Indian medical oncologists in the United States. As with all the interviews, questions include how Kaur started working for the Mayo Clinic, her work, how she feels about the diversity of the Mayo program she is affiliated with, how her cultural diversity has helped her in her career, and how diversity plays an important role in the workplace and her continuing learning process.
The blog is successful in profiling how a seemingly all-American institution such as the Mayo Clinic has diversified itself through the years. The interviews are quite informative and even inspirational. Its targeted audience can be people who are interested in finding out about the success stories in the institution?s Diversity in Education program. However, it can also be a good read for anyone who is involved in programs that promote racial equality and diversity. The blog is well-organized with its tags, archives dating back to April 2008, recent posts and comments, links to other programs of the Mayo Clinic, a calendar, and an RSS feed link. Also, the interviews have pictures of the subjects that will give readers a face to relate to the interview subject.
Minor glitches
There aren?t really weak points in the blog, except that the blog entries come in sporadic intervals. Sometimes, the blog is only updated twice to thrice in a month. Other than that, this blog should be a good read for people interested in the cultural and racial diversity of Mayo Clinic in particular and the medical profession in general.
