The group’s goals include workforce diversification and inclusive speaker recruitment.
Rheumatology Proud: Fostering an Inclusive Environment in Academic Medicine
Everyone wants to be accepted and feel like they belong. These are innately human traits, and they don’t go away when we leave the grade school playground, high school cafeteria or university quad. We want to feel safe and accepted at work, too, and that feeling is important to professional success and effectiveness. From a…
More Equal Care: The Power of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Rheumatology
Diversity, equity and inclusion have implications for pediatric patient care and the rheumatology workforce.
Images in Rheumatology Educational Materials Do Not Depict All Patients
“It’s crazy! None of the pictures online look like me!” a young Black woman with systemic lupus earythematosus (SLE) exclaimed. We could only affirm her observation and agree that it was unfair. Like many patients with SLE, our patient was diagnosed at a young age and suffered severe complications that required kidney transplantation before her…
Medical Education Must Answer the Call for Diversity
Civil unrest in response to racism is a call for realignment of priorities in all aspects of society, including medical education. Hospital preparedness demands training in the treatment of victims of pepper spray, tear gas and rubber bullets, as well as planning for lockdown procedures in healthcare facilities and medical schools. Beyond logistics though, events…
Improving Demographic Representation & Equity in Rheumatology Research
A better understanding of knowledge gaps and increased engagement of underrepresented communities are needed to diversify rheumatology patient data in clinical datasets, registries and randomized clinical trials.
Racial Disparities in Rheumatology: RA, OA & Arthroplasty
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—Evidence shows that African Americans have a higher burden of osteoarthritis, with lower use of conventional medications, and are less adherent to the medications they take. They also get arthroplasty procedures less often, and when they do have the procedures, they report greater pain, worse function and lower satisfaction with them. In RA…
Diversity: From Concepts to Outcomes
ACR CONVERGENCE 2020—In 2020, terms like unconscious bias, diversity and inclusivity are buzzwords in rheumatology, as well as throughout American society. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed stark disparities in healthcare outcomes for rheumatic disease patients of racial and ethnic minorities, including new research that shows Black and Latinx patients have a higher risk of hospitalization and…
Lessons from Master Clinicians: An Interview with Dr. Gail Kerr
Many, if not all, rheumatologists seek to grow as clinicians so they can provide consistently exceptional care to patients and serve as role models for colleagues and trainees. In this series, Lessons from a Master Clinician, we compile insights from clinicians who have achieved a level of distinction in the field of rheumatology. Gail Kerr,…
The ACR Helps Diversify Lupus Research
While African Americans and Hispanics—especially women in these ethnic groups—are disproportionately affected by lupus, they are under-represented in clinical trials in lupus and other chronic diseases.1,2 With the help of a new federal grant, the ACR took the first step to address this lack of diversity in lupus trials this year. The ACR’s Collaboration Initiatives…