Ask yourself this question: “Have I ever been surprised by someone‘s race, ethnicity, faith, or sexual orientation?”

If the answer is yes, and I suspect we all wouId answer yes, this should expose the fact that we probably all have some internal biases. It’s not wrong; it’s reality. What we do with those biases, a choice, is the standard by which we should all be judged. Recognizing our own internal biases allows us to build the necessary barriers between the subconscious and the conscious so that those biases, whatever their origin, do not define our actions, and ultimately, how we treat others. I believe this is a part of personal growth, and we owe this to each other, our patients, and ourselves.

Ignorance is no longer an excuse and silence is no longer acceptable. We collectively own this issue.

I know life and society are too complex to expect everyone to just get along. In fact, you can dislike as many and whomever you choose, but I challenge you to make certain you have a justifiable and rational reason for doing so.

I‘m not a social activist. I‘m a sensitive realist. How can I accept inequality for others and remain silent if I wouId not tolerate inequality and insensitivity toward my family or me?

Recognizing our tendency toward bias is the first step. Make a conscious decision to control those biases and not let them define you. There are many faces of emergency medicine, embracing our diversity makes us all stronger, while closing our minds limits our personal and collective growth as a specialty.

ACEP Hosts Diversity Summit, Makes Case for Change

With an eye to the future of emergency medicine, ACEP hosted a Diversity and Inclusion Summit in April to promote and facilitate diversity and inclusion and cultural sensitivity within the 35,000-member organization.

Led by President-Elect Rebecca B. Parker, MD, FACEP, the daylong Summit included more than two dozen ACEP members and staff who represent a variety of communities (age, gender, religion, race/color, and LGBT). These participants also brought special knowledge, research, publication, or leadership in diversity and within EM.

Women comprise more than half the population and minority groups comprise roughly 38% of the U.S. population today. Most of the largest American cities and some of the largest and fastest growing states have populations in which minorities are collectively the majority or will be in the near future. By contrast, the leadership of organized medicine and the EM workforce falls well below these averages—a fact that ACEP is working to change.