SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A new associate dean at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine is looking to expand the school’s promotional efforts.
The State Journal-Register reports 46-year-old Dr. Wendi Wills El-Amin is aiming to help future doctors avoid unconscious bias and expand the program so parts of it reach students in the elementary and middle-school grades.
Wills El-Amin began her role as associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion on Aug. 1. She succeeded 69-year-old Dr. Wesley Robinson McNeese, who helped launched SIU’s office of diversity, multicultural and minority affairs in 2001.
Wills El-Amin will also oversee the Physician Pipeline Preparatory Program, which McNeese founded in 2009. The after-school program enrolls local high school students interested in potential careers in medicine. The program provides mentors and exposure to the medical field.
