Diversity Leadership

In April of 2020, Dr. Kemi Babagbemi was appointed the first Vice-Chair of Diversity Equity and Inclusion by the Department of Radiology. In this role, working closely with the Chair of Radiology and the Dean's Executive Council, she developed strategies and action plans to address DEI goals in the Department of Radiology which include educational initiatives, enhanced recruitment, sustainable pipelines, and meaningful outreach. As such, in addition to promoting the rise of underprivileged and underrepresented people in the field of radiology, her work illustrates how concepts of social justice and cultural difference have a positive impact on the world of medicine.

Dr. Babagbemi’s interest in Diversity Equity and Inclusion is rooted in her educational and clinical experience. While being a part of the Emergency Department and Women's Imaging, it became clear that radiologists could not be bystanders to the disparities that patients face in access to care, access to screening, or prompt diagnosis. Similarly, Dr. Babagbemi expanded her teachings extensively to medical students within Weill Cornell Imaging at NewYork-Presbyterian, continually with the goal of increasing representation of minority physicians at each step of the medical education journey.

Soon after joining Weill Cornell Medicine in 2006, Dr. Babagbemi became Assistant Program Director of the Radiology Residency Program in 2007 and held this position until 2014, after which continuing to serve on the Residency Selection Committee. In addition, she was a Course Director of the Introduction to Clinical Imaging for Weill Cornell and visiting medical students from 2007 to 2014. Lastly, known for her commitment to education and clinical excellence, she was recruited in 2015 as a consultant and instructor for the Point of Care Ultrasound Education Program for medical students, fellows, and hospitalists at WCM.

Before accepting her role as Vice-Chair of Diversity Equity and Inclusion in the Department of Radiology, Dr. Babagbemi was selected as a Faculty Scholar in Health Equity, a program developed by the Weill Cornell Diversity Center of Excellence.

In December 2021, Dr. David Jaramillo Gil became the Program Specialist in Diversity, Equity and Academic Affairs in the Department of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

In this role, Dr. Jaramillo Gil has the unique opportunity to establish and facilitate dialogues between the Department of Radiology and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Cornell Center for Health Equity, the university community and the public; serve as a subject matter expert providing education and policy assessment to regularly enhance and implement DEI goals; identify and translate DEI strategies into practical and actionable solutions; develop a broad range of DEI activities designed to educate and sustain a more knowledgeable and inclusive environment; and develop means to analyze and improve the effectiveness and impact of DEI work. As such, Dr. Jaramillo Gil develops and coordinates all departmental DEI initiatives and programs with guidance from the Chair and the Vice-Chair in DEI while providing support for fellow health care workers in multicultural competence. Furthermore, by working in a dual role, Dr. Jaramillo Gil also ensures that the Department of Radiology has an excellent and diverse faculty by administering and organizing faculty development, promotion, and retention efforts along with the Vice Chair of Academic Affairs and Faculty Development, Dr. Elizabeth Hecht.

Dr. Jaramillo Gil earned his doctorate in Latin American, Iberian and Latino Cultures from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, where he also served as Adjunct Lecturer, Administrative College Assistant, and Scholarly Communications Fellow. His doctorate research focused on the ways in which queer and trans people of color combat oppression, discrimination, and inequality. With an interest in reducing structural racism and health inequity, his current research focuses on the ways in which health care organizations embrace diversity to reduce biases in patient care, medical education, and faculty development while valuing the presence, experiences, and values of BIPOC and TGNCB people in the field of medicine.

Dr. Joseph Osborne is the Chief of Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and Attending Radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine.

In addition, Dr. Osborne is the Director of the MI4 laboratory (Molecular Imaging Innovations Institute for Inclusion) where his goal as a physician-scientist is to promote practical value-added molecular imaging closely aligned with precision medicine. In line with this goal, he is currently the principal investigator on an NIH Academic Industrial Partnership RO1 grant “A new technique to make 68Ga-labeled pharmaceuticals widely available for clinical use” and the Dean’s Health Disparity Research Award “Prostate Cancer Health Impact Program (pCHIP)”.
Furthermore, Dr. Osborne is the Head of the Rad Health Equity Lab. The mission of Rad Health Equity, a division of MI4, is to improve access to radiology through research, awareness, and practical implementation in underserved communities. Rad Health Equity has a strong interest in the socioeconomic causes of the uneven burden of cancer-related mortality. By prioritizing cost-effective diagnosis, it broadens access to more effective therepautics. Furthermore, it addresses cancer equity by combining these areas of focus into one goal, dedicated towards the responsible translation of investigational compounds into the communities most at-risk.
As the Investigator Development core director at the Cornell Health Equity Center, Dr Osborne focuses on programmatic strengthening of research mentoring and education. Dr. Osborne has also had a strong leadership role in clinical physician training and mentoring. His extramural duties include serving a member of the FDAs Medical Imaging Drug Advisory Committee (MIDAC) and as a reviewer for the Damon Runyon Cancer Foundation Innovation award.

Dr. Lauren Groner is a radiologist specializing in Cardiothoracic Radiology.

She is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Assistant Attending Radiologist at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Campus who specializes in Cardiothoracic Radiology. She interprets a wide range of imaging examinations, including radiography, chest CT (including high-resolution CT), thoracic MRI, cardiac CT and MRI, PET, and abdominal and pelvic CT. Dr. Lauren Groner, in her capacity as a cardiothoracic radiologist and member of the Lung Cancer Screening Disparities Working Group at NewYork-Presbyterian, is working to improve uptake of lung cancer screening and mitigate racial, socioeconomic, and sociodemographic inequities in lung cancer screening, smoking and smoking cessation, and lung cancer detection, treatment, and outcomes, particularly among Black, Latino, and Asian patients. Dr. Lauren Groner co-chairs the Racial and Social Justice Book Club which helps elevate diversity and inclusion as a priority in the Department of Radiology.

Dr. Katerina Dodelzon is a board-certified radiologist specializing in Women’s Imaging.

She is an Assistant Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and Assistant Attending Radiologist at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Campus. She also serves as the Associate Program Director of the Radiology Residency Training Program and of the Breast Imaging Fellowship Training Program. As such, Dr. Dodelzon is an active and involved teacher of residents, fellows, and medical students and a patient advocate. Dr. Dodelzon interprets a variety of studies including mammography, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and performs breast interventional procedures including stereotactic breast biopsies, and image-guided breast biopsies (ultrasound and MRI). Her research interests include the optimization of breast cancer surveillance techniques and improving access to breast cancer screening. Her work includes assessing barriers that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people face in achieving equitable health care in Radiology. To address these obstacles, she is leading initiatives to provide high-quality care to TGD patients and develop appropriate imaging and screening guidelines for TGD patients at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Dr. Bradley B. Pua is Associate Professor of Radiology in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Weill Cornell Medicine and an Associate Attending Radiologist at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Campus. In addition, Dr. Pua is the Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program and Chief of the Division of Interventional Radiology. Dr. Pua's interests include both pediatric interventions and minimally invasive cancer therapy, with a particular focus on thoracic tumors. To optimize community patient experience and preventative medical outreach, Dr. Pua has led the expansion of the lung cancer screening program and consolidation of standards of practice across various sites at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The initiative is particularly aimed at reaching Black and Brown communities across the New York metropolitan area. Having been involved in a pilot program of mobile CT screening in Brooklyn, the initiative aims to expand across the five boroughs.

Dr. Geraldine McGinty is the Chief Strategy and Contracting Officer and Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology and Population Science.

Dr. McGinty was the first woman to serve as the Chair of the American College of Radiology’s Board. Throughout her term she frequently would remind herself of the words of Ruth Okediji, Professor at Harvard Law School who once stated “You are not successful until you have brought the next woman up. It’s not success if it’s just you.” Dr. McGinty’s goal is to be intentional about diversity along all its axes, not just gender. She understands that the evidence that diversity in leadership drives better organizational decisions and outcomes is clear, but it takes committed leaders to do the hard work of disrupting well-worn grooves of exclusion in order to open doors to more diversity of thought and experience. She is mindful in knowing that leaders have to invest their organizational capital as well as their personal social capital if they are serious about change and that leaders need to underpin their statements of support for diversity with tactics and metrics if those statements are to be other than ephemeral.

Dr. McGinty plans to keep influencing at an organizational level, simultaneously, leveraging her own assets: a wide network, a love of mentoring and a passion for more equitable patient care, and she will set herself rigorous metrics to ensure that she does her part to bring others up.

Dr. Elizabeth Kagan Arleo is a Board-Certified radiologist specializing in Women’s Imaging and a Fellow of the Society of Breast Imaging. She is a Professor of Radiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and an Attending Radiologist at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Arleo’s leadership is evident from major national roles, including Editor-in-Chief of the journal Clinical Imaging since 2017, as well as serving as the 2019 President of the American Association for Women in Radiology (AAWR) – in the latter capacity, her main advocacy work has been for paid family/parental leave in radiology residency. Dr. Arleo’s research focuses on multiple topics in Women’s Imaging, including breast and pelvic imaging, as well as women in radiology and medicine.

Dr. Arleo is deeply committed to equity and inclusion of all genders and races, as evidenced by being the Founder and Director of the Mentorship Program for Women in Radiology at Weill Cornell since 2009/2010, the 2017 recipient of the Laurie H. Glimcher, M.D. Award for Excellence in Mentoring Women Faculty, and the Diversity Champion for the Department of Radiology to Weill Cornell since 2017 as well.

Dr. Jessica M. Peña is a cardiologist with expertise in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular imaging, women’s health and lipidology. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Radiology at Weill Cornell and Director of HeartHealth, a program of the Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Peña was introduced to medicine at an early age, participating in pipeline programs for students underrepresented in medicine in high school and college at Weill Cornell Medicine. In 2015, Dr. Peña was recruited to the Dalio Institute of Cardiovascular Imaging at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine as Director of Women’s Health in the HeartHealth program. Dr. Peña is passionate about identifying those vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and developing pragmatic interventions to improve the prevention of cardiovascular disease both at a local and wider population level.

As the Assistant Dean for Admissions for Weill Cornell Medical College, Dr. Peña is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in medicine.

Dr. Robert William Schloss, Jr. is a board-certified radiologist at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital where he completed his residency training in 2007.

Prior to and throughout residency, Dr. Schloss served in the United States Navy, most recently at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA and aboard the USS Ogden (LPD-5) as the ship’s general medical officer during an era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which barred service members from openly expressing their gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientations in public. Being gay and having found this federal policy inconducive to one’s full and open life and livelihood, he came out to the military and was ultimately discharged. Addressing the military, he stated “I have no doubt that I can contribute greatly to the Navy as a radiologist, teacher, and researcher. I remain committed to be a leader in my field and to improve patient care. However, continuing to lead a double life of secrecy and self-denial has an unquestionable caustic effect on my sense of well-being. It is difficult to achieve excellence when I cannot acknowledge a core component of who I am. I no longer view my homosexuality as shameful and a cause for self-hatred. My homosexuality colors my view of the world, in particular people who are marginalized by society—it makes me a better, more compassionate physician. I do not want to continue a life where I conceal that which makes me a good servant to my community, that which makes me happy and proud.”

Dr. Schloss currently serves as a departmental champion for the care of transgender and gender-nonbinary patients and as a member of the department’s racial and social justice working group.