Departments of internal medicine (DOMs) provide a key perspective on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within academic medicine. Nationwide, 11% of DOM chairs are from underrepresented groups (URGs) and 17% are women.1 As leaders, we are responsible for establishing and promoting basic discussions of how we want to lead and communicate our values. Current events compel us as academic leaders to speak out about societal issues that extend beyond our academic domains.
Within medical schools and teaching hospitals, DOMs typically house the largest number of faculty and train the greatest number of students, residents, and fellows in the field of medicine. Our daily hands-on responsibilities impact many, and we acknowledge this impact. Most DOMs have not been successful in developing a culture that promotes DEI. Similar to what occurs in many segments of our society, departments have not sufficiently supported faculty, staff, and trainees from URGs to ensure that the work environment, including interactions with patients, is free from bias and discrimination. We also recognize limited investment in health equity and treatment of diseases prevalent in underrepresented communities.
As leaders, we recognize both our culpability in this regard and our ability to effect change. By committing to self-awareness and role modeling, we aspire to gain a greater understanding of social injustices and health inequalities within and outside our academic walls. For example, as leaders, we may require implicit bias and other forms of training for all members of the department, and committed investment in leadership and programs to enhance DEI. Our active participation on a regular basis in these training sessions is critical not only to our own growth as leaders but also in conveying the critical importance of DEI at all levels of the department. We are committed to learning from the lived experiences of all URGs and to providing strategies to eliminate systemic racism within our purview and scope. We have been challenged to step up and step in—and we accept the challenge.
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–Patricia W. Finn, MD, Dale Abel, MD, PhD, FACP, Alpesh Amin, MD, MBA, MACP, SFHM, FACC, FRCP (Lond), Mark E. Anderson, MD, PhD, John M. Carethers, MD, MACP, David L. Coleman, MD, Anne B. Curtis, MD, MACP, FACC, FHRS, FAHA, Mark W. Geraci, MD, Mark T. Gladwin, MD, Anthony Hollenberg, MD, Michael S. Parmacek, MD, Richard J. Robbins, MD, FACP
This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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