Maldonado is chief diversity and inclusion officer at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and lives in Tierrasanta.
Children in San Diego County have one hospital dedicated exclusively to pediatric health care: Rady Children’s. That reality demands that we deliver the highest quality care attuned to diversity, equity, and inclusion for our patients, their families, our staff and physicians, and other of the community we both serve and are a part of.
A little over a year ago, I assumed the role of the inaugural chief diversity and inclusion officer for Rady Children’s Hospital. I quickly learned that Rady Children’s is more than a workplace. It is a calling. Our team are motivated, driven, ionate people who are in pediatrics because they feel connected to a purpose. Together, we work hard to create a place of healing and comion for our patients and their families.
For us, the pursuit of excellence extends beyond medical advancements and cutting-edge technology — it requires a commitment to our team and patients to dismantle barriers and cultivate a culture of belonging where all are encouraged, ed and celebrated for their unique perspectives. As we navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving world, we must recognize the individuality we all possess and value the wide-ranging lived experiences we bring to our work and the children and families who come to us for care.
A critical part of making Rady Children’s the best place to work is employing health care professionals who reflect the larger community. Having a diverse workforce means gaining access to different perspectives. Bringing together team of diverse experiences, cultures, and backgrounds improves our ability to innovate, problem-solve, and empathize with patients and their families. Creating an environment where our team can thrive and deliver the best possible patient experience is why Rady Children’s strives to establish a workplace that embraces diversity as a cornerstone for excellence.
We have not come to this understanding by chance. We know that addressing systemic issues, inequities and injustices requires intentionality. Recognizing this, Rady Children’s has inaugurated its first purpose-driven strategy and multi-year plan, adopting a comprehensive and systematic approach to cultural transformation. With this in mind, we are focused on ensuring our workforce is ready to meet those goals.
Over the past year, we strengthened our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council and established six Team Resource Groups. These groups create opportunities for connection and community and are engines for change at Rady Children’s. Additionally, we developed and implemented a customized curriculum designed to enhance our team ’ capacity to identify and interrupt bias and cultivate a richer experience for our patients and their families. Through interviews, focus groups, and listening sessions, we gathered insights into current challenges, opportunities and the desired future state of Rady Children’s. We put training and refresher courses in place to ensure and reinforce our commitment to patient-centered care, identify and dismantle biases, and provide our patients with health care that is respectful of and responsive to their diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Our dedication to continuous learning ensures that our team remains informed and engaged. By encouraging a culture of lifelong learning, we aim to foster a dynamic environment where we meet the highest standards of pediatric care and be a beacon of inspiration for health care institutions nationwide, promoting a future where equity is at the forefront of medical excellence.
In 2024, as Rady Children’s continues our transformative shift, we are committed to centering the principles of inclusion and continuing to be a safe place where all children and families in our region receive the highest quality of care. By embracing the richness of diversity and ensuring access to care, we continue to lay the foundation for a healthcare system that truly serves the needs of all children. Building on our community-centered approach will ensure that we are responsive to different populations’ unique needs and concerns and that we continue to strengthen our connections to and increase our engagement with our community.
As we embark on this next year of driving meaningful progress, you can be confident that Rady Children’s is on a mission to be a place where diversity is celebrated, equity is foundational, and inclusion is a lived experience for all our team , patients, families, and the communities we serve.
