It was wonderful to see many of you at the 2024 SNACC Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. As discussed in the last newsletter, there have been significant challenges to DEI initiatives in academic institutions here in the United States. In light of this increasingly fraught climate, I would like to highlight a Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) grant-funded study from UCSF that underscores the importance of DEI initiatives in graduate medical education.1 They noted that a survey of residents in anesthesiology and surgery found that a majority of respondents felt there was a need for DEI education and training in how to handle microaggressions in the workplace, not just from colleagues but also from patients and their families. In response, the authors developed a three-part interactive workshop focusing on unconscious bias, allyship, and microaggression.
The authors report that after completing the unconscious bias workshop, respondents felt that they were more aware of their own unconscious bias in their clinical practice. Participants in the allyship workshop felt that they gained skills in effectively seeking out sponsors/mentors and advocacy. Finally those who attended the microaggression workshop reported that they gained greater awareness of microaggressions and helpful tools for dealing with them.
We are hoping to have one of the authors present on this important work at next year’s SNACC Annual Meeting which will be held in Atlanta GA. Hope to see many of you there! In the meantime on behalf of the SNACC EDI Committee I would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year.
References:
- Ehie O, Tesfalidet F, Lane R. Empowering perioperative trainees: The vital role of a DEI curriculum in health care. ASA Monitor2024;88:36-7.
