WORCESTER MEDICINE
Editorial
President’s Message
George Abraham, MD
Spiro Spanakis, DO President, WDMS
JEDI or Die
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Worcester Medicine, in the current era of firearm violence, it might even be construed as a threat. The acronym JEDI stands for justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, an oft-overlooked concept that has plagued our society in general and medicine in particular. While each of these terms is self-explanatory, our consistent practice of them may be lagging. The authors who have contributed poignant articles to this issue of Worcester Medicine have spoken from experience, be it from the angle of women in leadership, Dr. Darilyn Moyer; the Asian-American perspective, Dr. Elisa Choi; the African American perspective, Drs. Alice Coombs, Ronald Dunlap and Mark Johnson, et al.; the LGBTQ and religious minority perspective, Dr. Ahmed Salama; and so on. Probably the most overlooked of the JEDI characteristics is inclusion. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers several synonyms for the terms “inclusion” or “inclusivity” such as “all-embracing, all-in, all-inclusive, broad gauge, compendious, complete, comprehensive, cover-all, cyclopedic, embrasive, encyclopedic, exhaustive, full, global, in-depth, omnibus, panoramic, thorough, universal, etc.” Diversity and inclusion expert Verna Myers, founder and president of Verna Myers Consulting Group and star of a TED Talk on overcoming bias, told the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association that overcoming prejudice starts with identifying our unconscious biases and trying to rewire our brains to welcome differences and think more inclusively. She then went on to say: “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.” If not JEDI, then what is the alternative? I propose “die” to mean “death” in terms of our growth mindset, the ability to appreciate the best in others, progress in our profession and perspective and a more inclusive medical community, indeed society in general, that we are all called to be. I invite you, through the subsequent pages, to walk in the shoes of the authors as they share their perspectives, aspirations, passions and experiences. I hope that after reading this issue, like me, you will be challenged to increase the JEDI within yourself and within our sphere of influence, be it at work or elsewhere. We have all been invited to the party, I hope we will have a chance to dance together and take our profession to further heights. The alternative is not viable, hence my tongue-in-cheek title above. +
of Worcester Medicine – which sheds light on racial, ethnic, and social injustices and inequities in our society – I hope you can do so with faith in the future. As clinicians, not a day goes by when we are caring for patients whose medical conditions were not worsened by the social determinants of health. These insults to the patient’s health can take many forms and are often the most difficult for us to address in our treatment plans for patients. But, no problem can be solved without first recognizing it and committing resources to it. I am pleased that institutions, employers and legislators are focused on making improvements in this realm. We must also do so in the way we care for patients. The medical and surgical home models are wonderful examples of how we can begin to address some of the real underlying barriers our patients face to their health and well-being. I hope that payers continue to realize the long-term benefits to our patients of such care models in the future. As a larger segment of the population becomes vaccinated for COVID-19, I look forward to a time when we can come together in person again to conduct the business of society and socialize like we once did. In the meantime, we will continue to conduct our meetings virtually. Please stay tuned as we adapt to what will, hopefully, be an easing of social distancing guidelines and a time when we can come together again as a society. +
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A Psalm of Life Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1807-1882
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MAY / JUNE 2021
