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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
MEMBERS
Darrell M . Gray, II, MD, MPH, FACG, Chair Sophie M . Balzora, MD, FACG, Vice Chair Abdillahi M . Abdinoor, MD Somaya A . M . Albhaisi, MD Adjoa N . Anyane-Yeboa, MD, MPH Sumant Arora, MD Fray M . Arroyo-Mercado, MD Lanla Conteh, MD Lukejohn W . Day, MD Kalpit H . Devani, MD Erina N . Foster, MD, FACG Venu Gangireddy, MD Muhannad M . Heif, MD Dominique E . Howard, MD, FACG Daniel S . Jamorabo, MD Alyson M . Johnson, MD Gordon Kim, DO Jose R . Martin, MD, FACG Cecilia Minano, MD Kenneth O . Obi, MD Philip N . Okafor, MD Leybelis Padilla, MD Krunal Patel, MD Luis R . Pena, MD, FACG Stephanie D . Pointer, MD Benjamin D . Renelus, MD Mankanwal S . Sachdev, MD Dalbir S . Sandhu, MD, FACG Terilyn R . Scott-Winful, MD Nihar N . Shah, MD, FACG Belen A . Tesfaye, MD Shifa Umar, MD Vaibhav Wadhwa, MD Shani H . Woolard, MD Darrell M. Gray, II, MD, MPH, FACG
RESPONSIBILITIES AS STATED IN THE ACG BYLAWS
This Committee shall be responsible for heightening awareness of issues and strategies related to diversity, equity and inclusion by which the College can better serve the interests of all members and their patients . The Committee will work collaboratively with other committees in providing input through a healthy equity lens on programming such as educational, research and community engagement activities conducted by the College . This includes serving as an advisory group to the College on health disparity-related issues among racial, ethnic, gender, LGBTQ+ and other minority groups that the College can be a leader in addressing through programming for all members and patients . The Committee will also promote and advocate for inclusive representation in College leadership and work with other committees to increase participation, visibility, and advancement of members from underrepresented backgrounds in College-related activities such as appointments as faculty of ACG educational programs .
OBJECTIVES
1 . To heighten awareness of issues and strategies related to diversity, equity and inclusion by which the College can best serve the interests of all members and their patients . 2 . To work collaboratively with other committees in providing input through a healthy equity lens on programming such as educational, research and community engagement activities conducted by the College . This includes serving as an advisory group to the College on health disparity-related issues among racial, ethnic, gender, LGBTQ+ and other minority groups
that the College can be a leader in addressing through programming for all members and patients . 3 . To promote and advocate for inclusive representation in
College leadership and work with other committees to increase participation, visibility, and advancement of members from underrepresented backgrounds in College-related activities such as appointments as faculty of ACG educational programs . 4 . To help educate students from minority populations and underserved groups about careers in medicine and gastroenterology, through outreach, mentorship and research opportunities .
COMMITTEE REPORT
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee continues to work harmoniously to fulfill its mission to inform the College about health care issues among diverse population groups through a variety of programs: 1 . Drs . Gray and Balzora co-led the #DiversityinGI 5k which concluded on November 9, 2020 . In total, the race raised more than $30,000 to support the ACG Summer Scholars Program . 2 . The Committee led a webinar series entitled “Racism in
Medicine,” the most recent of which was hosted in May 2021 and addressed “Allyship and Action: In Solidarity Against Anti-
Asian Racism . ” 3 . The Summer Scholars Program subcommittee, led by Dr .
Somaya Albhaisi, selected Nicolette Veracruz from Central
Michigan University (Mentor: Tiffany Taft, MD - Northwestern
University Feinberg School of Medicine) and Darius Whitmore-
Carter from Morehouse School of Medicine (Mentor: Baharak
Moshiree, MD, FACG - Atrium Health) . Darius’s abstract submission to the ACG Annual Meeting was selected for poster presentation (P1431A: Prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in an Underserved Community Internal Medicine Practice in Charlotte, North Carolina) . 4 . The Committee partnered with the ACG Institute in the creation of the inaugural Health Equity Research Award and issuing the
RFP on July 23, 2021 . 5 . Drs . Gray and Balzora and members of the Intersociety Group on Diversity joined Dr . Folasade May and her team at UCLA in co-writing the initial manuscript from the workforce survey that was distributed across all GI societies in early winter . The aim of the study was to assess current perspectives of racial and ethnic workforce diversity and healthcare disparities among gastroenterology and hepatology professionals nationwide . 6 . The Health Equity Education subcommittee, led by Dr . Philip
Okafor, established a calendar of programming for ACG virtual grand rounds and the ACG Education Universe including the following topics: Systemic Racism in Healthcare, Distrust in
Health Care, Diversity in GI Medical Education, GI Cancer
Disparities, Liver Transplant Continuum Among Marginalized
Populations, and IBD Disparities in Minority Communities . 7 . Committee members are represented in recent publications that discuss issues of diversity, equity, and/or inclusion:
“When the minority tax is doubled: being Black and female in academic medicine” – January 2021, Nature Reviews
Equitable COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Patients With
IBD” – May 2021, Inflammatory Bowel Disease; “Health equity in focus: introducing the Association of Black Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists” – May 2021, Lancet Gastroenterology and
Hepatology; “Advancing health equity: The Association of Black
Our Trustworthiness, Leveraging Community Engagement” – July 2021, Population Health Management; “Diversity in clinical trials: an opportunity and imperative for community engagement” – August 2021, Lancet Gastroenterology and
Hepatology .
