Office of Healthcare Equity

Seasonal Art & Death Workshop - Spring
2025-09-06 12:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | A Sacred Passing: Death Midwifery and Education, 7832 S 113th St, Seattle, Washington, 98178, United States
Seasonal Art & Death Workshops

Come join us at A Sacred Passing: Death Midwifery and Education for our Seasonal Art & Death Workshops ! This in-person gathering will offer time to play with creative expression and contemplation on death, cycles and self. Connect with like-minded individuals as we explore various art forms. We hope you can join us for this opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations and explore a creative side.

A Sacred Passing: Death Midwifery and Education7832 South 113th Street Seattle, WA 98178

Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival
2025-09-07 08:00 - 17:00 | Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
Live Aloha Hawaiian Cultural Festival is September 7, 2025 at the Armory Food & Event Hall, Mural Amphitheatre, and Fisher Rooftop. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public.

Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias
2025-09-13 08:00 - 2025-09-14 17:00 | Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias is September 13-14, 2025 at the Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public.

Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month Flag Raising
2025-09-15 12:00 - 12:30 | Multiple Venues
Join UW Medicine in celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month. Kick of the month by attending a flag raising at UW Medicine hospital campuses: UW Medical Center — Montlake, UW Medical Center — Northwest, Harborview Medical Center and Valley Medical Center.

Equity Impact Review Tool Workshop - September 15th
2025-09-15 13:00 - 14:30
Course Objectives

Understand when and why to use the Equity Impact Review Tool.

Identify decisions that are in front of you that require an equity context.

Describe the six steps of an equity impact review.

Practice the six steps of the Equity Impact Review Tool on live UW Medicine decisions.

Pronoun Competency Training - September 16 -FULL course
2025-09-16 09:00 - 10:00
ObjectiveBuilding Inclusive and Affirming Interactions at UW Medicine

Using individuals’ pronouns is fundamental to respectful, inclusive, and affirming interactions across UW Medicine, with our colleagues, students, and patients. Many of our community members make mistakes at times, are corrected, and genuinely apologize. However, to truly improve, we need structured and supportive opportunities to practice. These opportunities are not typically available in our day-to-day interactions.

This monthly training series provides ongoing opportunities to practice and receive feedback from experts and supportive colleagues to improve pronoun competency. Remember, practice makes perfect and you may attend these sessions as often as you would like. Registration for each group is capped at 20 to allow for individualized practice and feedback. The goal is to foster inclusion and belonging for every member of our UW Medicine community, with emphasis on supporting those who do not use he/his or she/her pronouns.This September class is FULL. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist for this date, please email hcesched@uw.edu.

Bystander Intervention (6) September 17th
2025-09-17 10:30 - 12:00
Course Objectives

Describe why it is important to intervene when you observe an incident of identity-based harm.

Identify the obstacles that may get in the way of intervening effectively.

Learn and practice the five D’s of bystander intervention.*This course is available to community members who have completed our Foundational Training sequence.

Bias & Microaggressions (5) September 24th
2025-09-24 14:00 - 15:30
Course Objectives

Define key terms related to bias and microaggressions.​

Explain how microaggressions are harmful and associated with bias.​

Describe four psychological processes that fuel biased actions.​

Describe helpful ways to respond to microaggressions based on my typical role in these incidents (as a leader, bystander, target, or offender).

The Italian Festival
2025-09-27 08:00 - 2025-09-28 17:00 | Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
The Italian Festival is September 27-28, 2025 at the Armory Food & Event Hall and Fisher Pavilion. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series.

Doctor for A Day: Dermatology Workshop
2025-09-27 09:00 - 14:00 | UW Health Sciences Education Building, Room 101, 1607 NE Pacific St, Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States
Doctor for a Day from the University of Washington, School of Medicine is excited to host this free in-person event with hands-on activities focusing around learning about medicine and healthcare professions. Talk with current medical students, residents, and attendings to learn more about a future career in medicine. Bring all of your questions! Free swag and food provided!

Learn from physicians in dermatology, surgical oncology, and radiation oncology through a Q&A panel and interactive activities! Lunch and swag bags provided.

RSVP Required: Click Here to RSVP

Doctor for a Day is dedicated to increasing the numbers of people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the healthcare field. DFAD focuses on students from 7th grade all the way up to college level students. Reach out for more information, and follow us to learn more about future Doctor for a Day events on Instagram at @UW_DFAD.

If you have any questions please email dferede@uw.edu or rsanche3@uw.edu.

Gender and Sexual Diversity (3) September 30th
2025-09-30 11:00 - 12:30
Course Objectives

Appreciate the range of gender diversity and variations in sexual identity.

Recognize the importance of having both competence from the standpoint of medical knowledge as well as having a culturally informed approach with patients and/or colleagues with life experience and identities that differ from your own.

Apply trauma-informed principles when providing medical care for patients and be aware that some have experienced trauma in healthcare settings.

Reducing Weight Stigma & Bias in Healthcare- October 1st NEW COURSE
2025-10-01 09:30 - 11:00
Building Inclusive and Affirming Interactions at UW Medicine

Reducing Weight Stigma and Bias in Healthcare – As part of UW Medicine’s ongoing efforts to reduce bias in healthcare, this new course explores bias related to body weight. Framed around patient stories, this course aims to increase empathy related to weight stigma by offering a better understand of the history of society’s relationship with weight, as well as explore contemporary research that challenges stereotypes in society about health and one’s body size. This course also focuses on skills we can use in healthcare to decrease bias and improve interactions with people related to their body. Objectives:1. Increase empathy through adult patient stories related to weight stigma. 2. Understand the history of society’s relationship with weight. 3. Increase knowledge of recent research on weight’s impact on health, weight loss interventions, and the success at maintaining weight loss. 4. Learn skills to decrease bias and improve interactions with people related to their body.

All are welcome to this training.

Central District Art Walk
2025-10-03 08:00 - 17:00 | 23rd Avenue and East Union Street, 23rd Avenue and East Union Street, Seatt
FIRST FRIDAYS. A Monthly Art, Music, and Culture experience in the heart of the Central District:

Join us every First Friday of the month, year round, Starting at Midtown Square Plaza from 6-9pm for this free, self-guided, all-ages event featuring local art at multiple locations in the Central District. Everyone is welcome, so come out and have some fun in your neighborhood and celebrate art!

Identity, Privilege, and Intersectionality (1) October 7th
2025-10-07 11:30 - 13:00
Course Objectives

Deepen awareness of the current state of racism and oppression in our society and at UW Medicine.

Understand and describe your own and others social identities, intersectionalities, and privileges.

Call to Action: Integrating these understandings into your personal and professional life.

Vibe Bingo
2025-10-09 18:00 - 21:00 | Washington
Vibe Bingo + Cierra Sisters

This Thursday on October 9th we will be kicking off the month with our Vibe Bingo event and it will be a night to remember! Filled with music and laughs this event reminds us that community care can be both fun and healing. If you haven’t yet, grab your ticket! There are only a few left.

Breast Cancer Awareness Vibe Bingo

Join Vibe Bingo, the Cierra Sisters, and the Marvin Thomas Memorial for a powerful R&B Only Breast Cancer Awareness Event! This is set to be one of our biggest nights, dedicated to celebrating survivors and honoring everyone affected by breast cancer. The theme for the night is pink, so come dressed in your best to show your support.

We want to celebrate your journey—if you are a breast cancer survivor, your entry is free, and you’ll receive a special gift from us. To claim your free ticket, please contact Sarah or Chuck D at sarah@vibebingo.com or chuckd@vibebingo.com.

The night will be hosted by Ya Girl Ness, featuring music from DJ Chuck D. We’ll be at a new local restaurant on Kent East Hill, offering excellent Mexican/American cuisine and ample parking.

Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and bingo starts promptly at 7:00 p.m.

6:00PM – 9:00PM | 10432 SE Kent-Kangley Rd, Kent, WA 98030

The Office of Public Lectures presents: Unpacking Legacy: From the Personal to the Systemic with Dr. Uché Blackstock
2025-10-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Washington
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)

Join the University of Washington Office of Public Lectures, the School of Medicine, and The Graduate school at this valuable event.

In this powerful and deeply personal talk, Dr. Uché Blackstock explores the legacies that have shaped her journey—both personal and institutional. She reflects on following in her mother’s footsteps to medical school, a path that made Dr. Blackstock and her twin sister the first Black mother-daughter legacy at the institution.

She also confronts a broader, systemic legacy—the entrenched racism woven into every aspect of the medical field. From disparities in medical education to the safety and well-being of BIPOC practitioners, Dr. Blackstock sheds light on the urgent need for change within healthcare institutions.

Registration opens September 10, 2025.

Turkfest
2025-10-11 12:00 | Washington
Turkfest is October 11th: 12pm-5pm & October 12th: 12pm-5pm, 2025 at the Armory Food & Event Hall. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public.

Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 25 free cultural festivals, produced in partnership with community organizations. In 2022, Festál celebrated 25 years of stories and traditions, ushering in a new era of hybrid programming. Learn more about Festál and subscribe to the newsletter for updates.

Seattle Center Festál presents Turkfest in partnership with the Turkish American Cultural Association of Washington (TACAWA). The festival boasts a lively marketplace, food, music, dance, and more.

Turkfest is an annual cultural festival in Seattle, whose mission is to foster friendship, to highlight the diversity and richness of Turkish culture and Turkish speaking countries, and cooperate throughout the greater community by organizing educational, entertaining, and engaging cultural programs that celebrate Turkish and Turkic cultures and heritage.

Social Determinants of Health (4) October 13th
2025-10-13 09:30 - 11:00
Course Objectives

Define social determinants of health and health inequities

Understand how social conditions influence health

Describe elements of the Social Ecological Model and Life Course Model

Explain the relationship between SDOH, racism and racial health inequities

Bystander Intervention (6) October 14th
2025-10-14 15:00 - 16:30

Gender and Sexual Diversity (3) October 15th
2025-10-15 14:30 - 16:00

Doctor for A Day: Oncology Workshop
2025-10-18 09:00 - 14:00 | UW Health Sciences Education Building, Room 101, 1607 NE Pacific St, Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States
Doctor for a Day from the University of Washington, School of Medicine, is excited to host this free in-person event with hands-on activities focusing around learning about medicine and healthcare professions. Talk with current medical students, residents, and attendings to learn more about a future career in medicine. Bring all of your questions! Free swag and food provided!

RSVP Required: https://forms.office.com/r/zHAbpEaYXx

Doctor for a Day is dedicated to increasing the numbers of people from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in the healthcare field. DFAD focuses on students from 7th grade all the way up to college level students. Reach out for more information, and follow us to learn more about future Doctor for a Day events on Instagram at @UW_DFAD.

If you have any questions please email dferede@uw.edu or rsanche3@uw.edu.

Diwali Lights of India
2025-10-18 12:00 | Washington
Diwali: Lights of India is October 18, 2025 at the Armory Food & Event Hall. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public. More information to come.

Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 25 free cultural festivals, produced in partnership with community organizations. In 2022, Festál celebrated 25 years of stories and traditions, ushering in a new era of hybrid programming. Learn more about Festál and subscribe to the newsletter for updates.

OVERVIEW

Seattle Center Festál presents Diwali: Lights of India in partnership with Northwest Share. This year’s festival features music, dance, visual art, martial arts, a cooking demonstration and more.

HISTORY

Diwali (Festival of Lights) is a major cultural celebration observed throughout India every fall. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Light is a metaphor for knowledge and consciousness. During Diwali in India, houses and business locations are brightly illuminated with lamps, diyas (oil lamps), and candles. Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, is worshiped for prosperity. Diwali is celebrated with families and friends, wearing new clothes, partaking in family feasts, enjoying delicious sweets, sharing gifts and most importantly, setting off firecrackers!

Northwest Share is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Seattle, founded in 2000 to promote arts, culture, tradition, heritage, education, health, and humanities. Northwest Share organizes many arts and cultural festivals all around Washington State in partnership with City of Redmond, One Redmond Foundation, City of Bellevue, City of Issaquah, Seattle Center, Washington State Parks, Northwest Folklife, etc. The organization also runs vegetarian food trucks and distributes free food to people.

Cierra Sisters 2025 World Mammography Day
2025-10-18 12:00 - 14:00 | Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, Washington, 98118
Knowledge is strength. Screening is power! Join us for a powerful afternoon dedicated to breast health, community, and action.

October 18 | 12–2 PM 8825 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98118 Registration opens at 11:30 AMFREE mammograms on site! For women 40+ in King County Income-eligible, uninsured, or underinsured? We’ve got you!

Call 800.756.5437 to schedule as space is limited!

Also, we’re excited to introduce you to our hosts and panelists!

Somos Seattle LGBTQ+ Resource Fair & Health Clinic
2025-10-18 14:00 - 18:00 | El Central de la Raza Centilia Cultural Center, 1660 S. Roberto Maestas Festival Street, Seattle, Washington, 98144, United States
Join us at our LGBTQ+ Resource Fair & Health Clinic and learn about the many organizations in our community and the services they provide. Whether it’s an STI screening, access to PrEP or find a support network that meets your needs, you’re sure to find it!

This event is free to attend, with light refreshments provided for all guests and tabling organizations. Come build community and see what’s available.

Pronoun Competency Training - October 22nd
2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:00
ObjectiveBuilding Inclusive and Affirming Interactions at UW Medicine

Using individuals’ pronouns is fundamental to respectful, inclusive, and affirming interactions across UW Medicine, with our colleagues, students, and patients. Many of our community members make mistakes at times, are corrected, and genuinely apologize. However, to truly improve, we need structured and supportive opportunities to practice. These opportunities are not typically available in our day-to-day interactions.

This monthly training series provides ongoing opportunities to practice and receive feedback from experts and supportive colleagues to improve pronoun competency. Remember, practice makes perfect and you may attend these sessions as often as you would like. Registration for each group is capped at 20 to allow for individualized practice and feedback. The goal is to foster inclusion and belonging for every member of our UW Medicine community, with emphasis on supporting those who do not use he/his or she/her pronouns.

Bias & Microaggressions (5) October 23rd
2025-10-23 14:00 - 15:30

Ballard Dia de Los Muerto
2025-10-25 17:30 - 22:30 | 2200 block of Ballard Avenue NW
Festival & Parade

On Saturday, October 25th, there will be a wonderful (and free) Dia de Los Muertos event and parade that will run along historic Ballard Avenue in downtown Ballard, from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. along the 2200 block of Ballard Avenue NW.

A main stage will feature a lineup of musicians and entertainers throughout the evening, while local businesses on Ballard Avenue and 22nd Avenue will take part with themed mini-events, decorations, and specials.

Marvin’s Garden Park will be transformed into a cemetery scene with lighting and décor, and Bergen Place Park will feature a large community ofrenda (altar) where visitors can leave photos of loved ones, including pets, and light candles in their honor.

A parade is scheduled to begin at about 6 p.m. at Filson, traveling up Ballard Avenue to Market Street and ending at 24th Avenue NW. The procession will include marching bands, Catrinas, musicians, large puppets, lowrider cars, traditional dancers, and other cultural participants.

Family-friendly activities planned for the festival include face painting stations, street performers, and candy giveaways at participating shops. Guests are encouraged to come in costume, paint their faces, dress up their pets, and bring children to join the festivities. A vendor area will showcase local arts, crafts, and artisan goods.

Matador will host a 21-and-over beer garden and after-party with drink specials and live DJ entertainment.

Check out the flyer for more information. You can also follow this event on Instagram @diadelosmuertos_pnw

Questions: diadelosmuertospnw@gmail.com

Collaborating for a Dementia-Friendly Washington: Building Momentum
2025-10-27 10:00 - 16:30 | Tukwila Community Center, 12424 42nd Ave S, Tukwila, Washington, 98168, United States
This event is for anyone who wants to make their communities more dementia-friendly, including people with dementia, family caregivers, and professionals across a wide spectrum of fields. Join us to connect with others, be inspired by innovative models, and gain practical tools for making your community more dementia-friendly!

Collaborating for a Dementia-Friendly Washington: Building Momentum – Memory and Brain Wellness Center

History of Race and Racism in Science & Medicine (2) Oct 29th
2025-10-29 10:00 - 11:30
Course Objectives

Understand the way medicine/science has been used to create and further racism

Understand the history of the creation of racial categories and hierarchy, particularly by physicians, and how that framework is still used in modern medicine

Recognize race as a social and political construct

Explain how and why race is not biological or genetic

OHCE Deeper Dive Discussions: Social Determinants of Health - October 30th
2025-10-30 10:00 - 11:00
The Office of Healthcare Equity is pleased to share our newest training and education opportunity. You are invited to sign up for our Deeper Dive Discussions.

We are looking for UW Medicine community members to help us pilot and provide feedback on these discussions, as we prepare to go live with this program early next year.

Sessions are one hour long, led by a pair of trained facilitators, with a maximum of 20 participants. To prepare for this discussion, all participants are asked to review a 30-minute e-learning didactic presentation of the foundational training topic in focus. The eLearning module link will be included in the registration confirmation.
