95. Introducing Narratives in Cardiology Series: Dr. Pamela Douglas on Diversity & Inclusion

Published: Jan. 1, 2021, 2:51 a.m.

CardioNerds (Amit Goyal and Daniel Ambinder) introduce the CardioNerds Narratives in Cardiology Series which will feature the stories of amazing cardiovascular faculty and trainees representing diverse backgrounds, subspecialties, career stages, and career paths. To kick this series off, Dr. Pamela Douglas, who heads the Diversity and Inclusion task force for the American College of Cardiology, provides valuable insights in the field and shares her personal story. We are joined by the CardioNerds Narratives #FIT Advisors, Dr. Zarina Sharalaya, Dr. Norrisa Haynes and Dr. Pablo Sanchez for this very important discussion. \n\n\n\nSpecial messages by: Dr. Vanessa Blumer, Dr. Robert Harrington, Dr. Richard Chazal, Dr. Nosheen Reza, Dr. Neha Pagidipati, Dr. Mary Norine (Minnow) Walsh, Dr. Melissa Daubert, Dr. Gerald Bloomfield, Dr. Angela Lowenstern, Dr. Ralph Brindis, Dr. Michael Valentine, Dr. Anna Lisa Crowley, Dr. Malissa Wood and Dr. Geoffrey Ginsberg. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCardionerds Narratives in Cardiology PageCardioNerds Episode PageCardioNerds AcademyCardionerds Healy Honor Roll\n\n\n\n\n\nSubscribe to The Heartbeat Newsletter!Check out CardioNerds SWAG!Become a CardioNerds Patron!\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShow notes \n\n\n\nWhat is "Diversity" & "Inclusion"?Facets of diversity are all aspects of human differences.\xa0These include gender, race, ethnicity, age, physical ability, gender identity, national origin, language, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and more.Inclusion is making everyone feel welcomed and included.Inclusion requires having a culture & environment where everyone can thrive regardless of background differences.\xa0This inclusive culture fosters respect & belonging in which we hear, appreciate, & value everyone and their perspectives.Inclusive organizations work with individuals to recognize and eliminate both explicit and implicit biases. They may do this with intentional efforts like professional & skills development as well as addressing awareness, education, and policy.\xa0Diversity measures representation by counting the presence of varying identities and characteristics. But Diversity itself is not the final goal.Diversity is the metric while Inclusion is the goal. For now, while representation is so disparate among certain groups, diversity is an important metric. It\u2019s hard to be truly inclusive with such professional inequities.\xa0\u201cUltimately what we want is for people to belong. So not just be asked to the dance and sitting around and staring at everybody else but really feeling like you can go out on that dance floor and dance, like nobody's watching and it's fine because this is your\xa0 community.\u201d - Pamela Douglas\n\n\n\nWhy is achieving diversity important?Diversity is a virtue in and of itself.\xa0But more than that, diverse groups make better decisions, are more innovative, are better at problem solving, and have an expanded talent pool.Cardiovascular medicine benefits from having a diverse workforce. Science performed by diverse groups has greater scientific novelty and produces higher impact papers in higher impact journals.\n\n\n\nIs there a link between professional diversity and healthcare inequities?YES!Physician diversity reduces healthcare disparities and improves healthcare quality.Physicians who train in diverse environments are more culturally competent when treating underrepresented groups.Underrepresented physicians are more likely to serve underrepresented populations.Underrepresented patients are more likely to follow the recommendations of physicians who look like them. This enhanced trust is critical to an effective patient-physician relationship.\xa0In the context of clinical trials and guidelines, underrepresented physician scientists help diversify our clinical trial participants, resulting in a more robust and representative evidence base.\xa0\n\n\n\nHow are we doing in cardiology with respect to diversity?There have been improvements but we have a long way to go.Women comprise 43% of internal medicine resident physician...