The Intersection of Implicit Bias and Clinical Care

Speakers

Deoshore F. Haig, LCSW, director of Haig and Associates Consulting, is a social worker and consultant with over 25 years experience working with culturally diverse communities and organizations. Haig has particular expertise in designing and conducting diversity and cultural competence needs assessments and organizational development. She collaborates with clients to develop comprehensive tools to describe the culture and climate of their organization, and to identify strengths and successes, as well as gaps and areas for improvement. Haig draws on years of experience and research to implement best practices in diversity and cultural competence, and guides leadership and staff through a strategic process to realize their vision of diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism at all levels.

Haig is skilled at creating safe, non-threatening learning environments where all participants are respected for their life experiences, values, and perspectives, which are seen as assets to the group. Individuals’ well-being is always of the utmost importance to her. Her facilitation provides structured opportunities for dialogue, frameworks for critical analysis, and individual coaching, to foster an optimal climate for learning. Haig is highly respected for her enthusiasm, energy, concern for participants’ well-being, use of interactive activities, and ability to incorporate humor into the learning process. She recognizes that conflict is an inherent part of the transformation process, and takes full advantage of its potential to cultivate change agents with the vision and hope to see new possibilities and solutions.  

Haig received her bachelor of arts from Potsdam College, master of social work from Rhode Island College, and is a licensed certified social worker in the state of Rhode Island. Currently she is the clinical social worker at C.I.T.E. School (Center for Individualized Treatment and Education) and is a fee for service clinician at Community Care Alliance. 

Ernestine Jennings, PhD has 15 years of clinical and research experience providing care in a variety of health care and community settings with diverse populations. Dr. Jennings holds a doctoral and masters degree in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University. She completed her postdoctoral training at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and is a clinical assistant professor at the The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University's department of psychiatry and a staff psychologist at The Miriam Hospital Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine.  

Currently, she provides behavioral health services in a large primary care practice. She also provides care in The Miriam Hospital Behavioral Medicine Clinic. In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Jennings is involved in several research studies in the area of health and wellness (physical activity, weight management, smoking cessation). Dr. Jennings has been a member of the Diversity Committee in the department of psychiatry for several years and currently serves as co-chair. She has actively been engaged in the advancement of diversity and inclusion efforts in several hospital departments.

Daniel Moreno De Luca, MD MSc completed his psychiatry residency at Yale and is currently a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Brown. He is the chief fellow of research, and his clinical and research work revolves around the genetics of psychiatric conditions, particularly focusing on rare genetics in autism spectrum and other developmental disorders.

Sandra Mote, PhD (c), PMHSCNS-BC has been a full-time nursing faculty member at the University of Massachusetts- Lowell since 2011. She is a doctoral candidate in nursing and her dissertation focuses on factors that predict stigma among emergency nurses and physicians providing care to behavioral health patients. She earned her MS in psychiatric mental health nursing in 1999 and she has twenty years of clinical experience as an advanced practice nurse in psychiatric nursing.   

Dr. Mote is an interprofessional education fellow and she was selected to present her work as an IPE Fellow at the National Academies of Practice Conference in 2018. In additional to her nursing degrees she received a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Eastern New Mexico University, with a major in theatre. This background helps her direct actors as simulated patients and design psychiatric simulations for nursing students.

This interactive conference will provide an opportunity for participants to explore the role of subtle biases in our daily professional lives. Presenters from multiple disciplines will support participants through various content areas including definitions, cultural competence, stigma, and micro-aggression.

At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify areas of potential implicit bias.
2. Integrate learning about bias to their clinical work.
3. Recognize cultural competency models.
4. Describe how implicit bias impacts clients with trauma.

• Target audience: psychologists, physicians, social workers and other interested health care professionals
• Instructional level: Intermediate
• 3.5 CE hours/credits (see below) 
• Beverages and light snacks will be offered 

• Program fee: $59 
• Online registration closes on Wednesday, November 6.  
• Phone registration: Please call the department of behavioral education at 401-606-5752. 
• For refund/cancellation information please email bradleyconferencesup@lifespan.org or call Liz DeFreitas at 401-606-5752.