Racial inequality has a profound and painful impact on our society. It also determines who has access to quality health care in the United States.

In the weeks and months ahead, our communities and country will continue to mourn and speak out, not only over the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, but also other injustices and inequities that will be brought to light. Explicit racism and implicit bias are experienced in all settings – including the medical societies in which we work and the institutions in which patients and families seek care and support from our physician members.

AAMSE stands with other national, specialty, state, and county medical societies in recognizing that racism in its systemic, structural, institutional, and interpersonal forms is an urgent threat to public health, a hindrance to the advancement of health equity, and a barrier to the delivery of medical care. Black lives matter – now and always. There is no place for racism in health care organizations or settings.

In recent weeks, I have heard many medical society leaders and healthcare association executives ask, “what can we do?” or “how can we help”?

As a medical society professional, I strongly encourage you to pledge your support for We are AAMSE: A Pledge for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. If you agree with the following statements and wish to be a part of a united group of individuals striving to make positive change, please send an email with the subject line “We are AAMSE” to president@aamse.org. If your organization would like to pledge support, please let us know how many individuals that includes so we can keep an accurate count of who is committed to action and change.

We Are AAMSE: A Pledge for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As members of AAMSE and a committed community of medical society professionals:

• We will acknowledge and act against all forms of racism, discrimination, and bias in medical societies and the communities where our members practice medicine.
  
• We will implement recruiting and hiring practices resulting in a more diverse workforce where equity and inclusion is visible and nourished by all.
  
• We will create a welcoming environment that encourages engagement and leadership pathways for those who have not traditionally been included, invited, and involved.
• We will establish and sustain opportunities for learning, advancement, and growth through training related to conscious inclusion and cultural competence for our staff members, physician members, and healthcare professionals.
• We will stand in solidarity with communities of color and other marginalized groups who experience discrimination.
  
• We will move from rhetoric to action and do our part to eliminate inequities in our medical societies and the broader healthcare community.
  
• We will act as allies to encourage and empower individuals of of color and other non-privileged identities to teach us how to be better.
  

My colleagues on the AAMSE Board provided valuable input and guidance that helped shape this commitment and pledge. I am grateful for their enthusiastic support and leadership.

Thank you for your consideration and commitment to making the world and AAMSE a better, more diverse, inclusive and equitable place.

Let’s continue these important conversations and support one another – as well as others – moving forward.

With hope and gratitude,

Steve Smith, MS CAE FAAMSE
President, AAMSE
June 25, 2020