Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

Voices: Lived experiences

  • Where does hate localize to?
    Hunter R. Greer, MD Candidate, 2021| September 14, 2020


    The night before my first day on the neurology clerkship, I reviewed the neurologic exam to prepare. Thoroughly understanding nystagmus, spasticity, Romberg, and a myriad of other maneuvers to help me localize lesions, proffer differentials, and make a good impression on the doctors writing my evaluations. The next morning, as if the resident sensed my diligence, I was sent in on my own to see a patient consulted for upper extremity numbness and weakness.

    Entering the room, I was considering stroke, carpal tunnel syndrome, migraine, and cervical myelopathy. I knew the key to narrow down my localization was the neurologic exam.

    The patient was a pleasant man smiling as he sat on the edge of the hospital bed. The TV was on in his room, but barely audible, so I introduced myself and got started. In the middle of assessing for afferent pupillary defect, I heard, “America’s still not ready to elect a gay man kissing his husband.” I froze. 

    Continued

    All Voices

  • Taking a Stand Against Systemic Racism and Inequities in Society

    A Message from the Society of Black Neurologists about racism and the recent murders of Black Americans

    Read the message from the Society of Black Neurologists
     

    Position Statement on Systemic Racism and Inequities

    The AAN Board of Directors has approved a Position Statement on Systemic Racism and Inequities in Society and announced the creation of an AAN Special Commission to develop recommendations to implement the position statement throughout the organization. Read the position statement and learn more.
     

    Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Web Page

    The AAN has launched a new web page to highlight its initiatives and resources in the area of equity, diversity, and inclusion. View the page.

     

    Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Era of COVID-19

    International medical graduates in the COVID-19 pandemic era

    Parneet Grewal, MD  
    Department of Neurology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
    Srikrishna V. Malayala, MD
    Department of Internal Medicine, Bayhealth Hospital, Sussex Campus, DE

    The aging neurologist in the time of COVID-19

    John R. Corboy, MD, FAAN
    Professor, Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine

    The “younger” neurologist in the time of COVID-19

    Xenos Mason, MD
    Clinical Fellow in Movement Disorders, UCLA

    Did You Know?

    June 30, 2020

    • The AAMC reports that for neurologists with known reported racial data, 2% are Black, 3% are Hispanic, 23% are Asian, and 66% are White. https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2020-01/2019Table16.pdf

    • The AAMC reports that as of 2017, 69% of academic neurology departments employ White men as chairs. White women compose another 10% of chairs. Asians represent 9% of chairs. Less than 1% of chairs are Black/African-American and 3% are Hispanic. https://www.aamc.org/system/files/2020-01/2017%20Supplemental%20Table%20C.pdf

    • Internal AAN data indicate that when race is known, 33% of academic neurology diversity officers are Black/African-American, compared to 28% White/Caucasian, 28% Hispanic/Latino, and 8% Asian. White men in particular compose approximately 10% of neurology diversity officers.

    June 22, 2020

    • June 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of LBGTQ+ Pride celebrations and marches. Pride is held in June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, which occurred on June 28, 1969. The Stonewall riots were a series of demonstrations led by transgender women of color, including Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson, in protest of policy brutality against the LGBTQ+ community. Stonewall is considered a watershed moment for the gay liberation movement and the fight for LBGTQ+ rights in the United States.

    • The first Pride march was held in New York City on June 28, 1970; one year after the events at Stonewall. Over the years, Pride has grown from a single day to a month of marches, celebrations, and demonstrations worldwide that aims to celebrate LGBTQ+ individuals, and educate the public around issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

    • The fight for equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals continues. A recent victory occurred on June 15, 2020, when the Supreme Court voted 6-3 that the 1964 Civil Rights Act's prohibition on sex discrimination in employment covered discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. This decision came on the heels of renewed potential for discrimination within healthcare, however, as the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would remove non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ individuals in health care and health insurance.

    • If you are interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ health, the National LGBT Health Education Center of The Fenway Institute has free online training modules. https://fenwayhealth.org/the-fenway-institute/education/the-national-lgbt-health-education-center/

     

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  • Welcome to the Neurology Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Site!

    The Neurology  Equity, Diversity,  & Inclusion (EDI) is a Specialty Site linked to the larger Journal family and supporting the journal’s purpose “to advance the field by presenting new basic and clinical research with emphasis on knowledge that will influence the way neurology is practiced”.

    As founding Co-Editors of the Neurology  EDI Specialty Site, we developed an initial mission, vision, and goals statement to provide guidance and accountability as we start this venture:

    Mission: To increase awareness and understanding of EDI and in turn foster the Neurology  journal mission “to publish outstanding peer-reviewed original research articles, editorials, and reviews to enhance patient care, education, clinical research, and professionalism”.

    Vision: For the Neurology  EDI Specialty Site is to be the premier destination for patient care, research, education, policy, and advocacy content related to EDI in neurology.

    Goals: 

    1. To highlight peer-reviewed original research articles, editorials, reviews, and any other content published across the Neurology  journal family relating to EDI topics, including contributions that increase our understanding or propose solutions to improve health and healthcare equity.
    2. To provide a welcoming, respectful, and safe forum for the Neurology community to amplify our perspectives and lived experiences.
    3. To share opportunities that advance EDI in health and healthcare within and beyond the field of neurology.
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  • Call for "Voices: Lived Experiences"

    We encourage you to submit short first-person accounts (1000 words or less) of experiences lived within the realm of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) with the goal of informing and enlightening our community on these critical issues. Details for submissions can be found here.

     

  • Meet the Editors

    We are very excited to serve as the three inaugural Neurology
    EDI Specialty Site co-Editors! Over the next few weeks, we will share with you why this work is meaningful to each of us. To begin, Neurology EDI Mini-Site co-EditorsDr. Nicole Rosendale andDr. Nicte Itzel Mejia have shared what EDI means to them, and Dr. Jeffrey McClean will soon follow.

    The three of us thank you for reading and look forward to connecting with you as we partner to advance EDI in neurology.

    Editor biographies