Best Children's Hospitals US News & World Report 2025-26
World's Best Specialized Hospitals Newsweek 2026

About the office

The mission of the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, founded in 2017, is to provide guidance on achieving a healthcare environment that honors equity, diversity, respect, inclusion and excellence. The Office of Health Equity and Inclusion works collaboratively with other Boston Children’s and Harvard Medical School offices, including the BCH Office of Faculty Development, the BCH Center for Educational Excellence and Innovation (CEEI), the BCH Office of Experience, Human Resources (HR), and Program for Patient Safety and Quality (PPSQ).

History

Founded in 2017, the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion was established by assembling a collaborative team to guide, plan, and implement work across Boston Children’s Hospital. Furthermore, the work of the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion is aligned with the goals and commitments outlined in our Declaration on Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity that was created in 2020.

Supporting a healthcare environment that honors caregivers, pediatric patients, families, communities, staff, faculty, trainees and students from all backgrounds

The Office of Health Equity and Inclusion supports innovative programming across the four Boston Children’s missions: clinical care, research, community, and education. The goals of the Office are:

  1. to advance equitable pediatric care for all patients
  2. to conduct research to improve pediatric health outcomes for all children
  3. to create and support career pathway programs that advance more equitable care delivery for all patients
  4. to support a hospital environment that respects all viewpoints, backgrounds and experiences

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council

The Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council is made up of faculty and staff from departments and divisions across Boston Children’s. The council advocates for an inclusive environment by engaging, advising, and educating our entire hospital community.

Selected publications

Ward VL, Garvin MM, Tartarilla AB, Whitley M, Grice A, Melvin P, Shah SN, Katz-Wise S, Lee LK, Rufo PA, Thiagarajan RR, Laussen P, Fenwick SL, Churchwell KB. Advancing Health Equity and Inclusion in an Academic Pediatric Medical Center: Priorities Addressed and Lessons Learned. Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (JPOSNA) February 15, 2023; 5(S1). DOI: 10.55275/JPOSNA-2023-618

Katz-Wise S*, Shah SN*, Melvin P, Boskey ER, Grice AW, Kornetsky S, Poussaint TY, Whitley M, Stack AM, Emans SJ, Hoerner B, Horgan JJ, Ward VL. Establishing a Pediatric Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Research Review Process. Pediatrics 2024; 153(5): e2023062946. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-062946. **Co-first authors.

George MP, Melvin P, Grice A, Ward VL. Sociodemographic Predictors of Imaging Utilization in Children with Right Lower Quadrant Pain. Pediatric Radiology 2025; 55(1): 159-171. doi:10.1007/s00247-024-06076-3 PMID: 39503861