Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Policy Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To read our full Nondiscrimination Statement, click here.

URM

URM

Noun

An acronym that refers to underrepresented minority. Underrepresentation is a result of historical and current exclusion from resources and pathways into positions of power. Academic medicine made an intentional shift from using the term underrepresented minority, as the term minority connotes “less than” toward underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (URG). See the definition of URG above for more details.

URiM is also sometimes used, meaning underrepresented in medicine. Refers to those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population.

Please note: Like URG and other similar terms, URM is not a permanent or fixed identity because it is based on demographics and representation.

Source

Informed NIH definition of URG

The Glossary for Culture Transformation is a living document to be revised on an annual basis.

Suggested Citation: Office of Equity, Vitality, and Inclusion, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston Medical Center, and Boston University Medical Group. Glossary for Culture Transformation. 2021.

For questions or suggestions, please email wordsmatter@bu.edu