Jennifer Chubinski (Xavier University)

Labor seminar

Examining student perceptions of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a graduate Health Administration Program

Abstract. Institutes of higher learning play a critical role in Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI). The impact of addressing DEI issues in higher education is particularly evident within the health sector, where bias has been shown to influence students and the quality of health care for patients. As part of a student led initiative, a faculty-student collaboration measured how open, welcoming, and safe the environment is in a residential master of health administration program using a survey. The team did not find an existing survey instrument that measured the constructs of interest, and therefore developed a survey including qualitative and quantitative questions. The results (n=52) indicate that students are satisfied with the climate around DEI. Opportunities identified for improvement include: hiring more diverse staff, additional training for faculty, addressing sexist and equity concerns as well as a lack of engagement by White students in DEI conversations in the classroom. These results expand the body of evidence on DEI within a specific graduate MHA program, which has seldom been highlighted. They add program specific knowledge on student perceptions of DEI, where to target specific DEI efforts, and provide a tool other programs could use to measure the same issues.