Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The AOFAS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Initiative was established in 2021 to:

• conduct an assessment of the current AOFAS environment

• identify ways to address DEI issues in the workplace and in patient care

• work toward increased representation of under-represented minorities (URM) in foot and ankle orthopaedics as a profession as well as in AOFAS leadership roles.

The DEI Committee reports directly to the AOFAS Board of Directors with representation from the Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Foundation Board of Directors as well.

AOFAS Members, please help the DEI Committee by participating in the Member Census. Go to your Member Profile and update the information in "My Demographics" (under My Account Links).

Current Programs

AOFAS On the Same Page

These quarterly discussions will address books and journal articles on healthcare inequities along with diversity and inclusion issues for the profession. Programming will include small group breakout discussions and guest speakers where appropriate.

Register for our next event!

AOFAS On the Same Page: Bias Training for Medical Professionals

Wednesday, December 7
8:00 - 9:30 pm CT

Moderators: Gary W. Stewart, MD, and Tonya L. Dixon, MD, MPH

Featured Articles:

• Dear Program Director: Solutions for Handling and Preventing Abusive Behaviors During Surgical Residency Training, by Arianna L. Gianakos, DO; Dawn M. LaPorte, MD; Mary K. Mulcahey, MD; Jennifer M. Weiss, MD; Julie B. Samora, MD, PhD; Lisa K. Cannada, MD

• Becoming Active Bystanders and Advocates: Teaching Medical Students to Respond to Bias in the Clinical Setting, by Michelle York; Kyle Langford; Mario Davidson, PhD; Celeste Hemingway, MD; Regina Russell, PhD; Maya Neeley, MD; Amy Fleming, MD, MHPE

• How Assumptions and Preferences Can Affect Patient Care: An Introduction to Implicit Bias for First-Year Medical Students, by Cristina M. Gonzalez, MD, MEd; Stephanie Nava, MS; Julie List, LCSW; Alyssa Liguori, MEd; Paul R. Marantz, MD, MPH

• "I Didn't Know What to Say": Responding to Racism, Discrimination, and Microaggressions With the OWTFD Approach, by Sylk Sotto-Santiago, EdD, MBA, MPS; Jacqueline Mac, MA; Francesca Duncan, MD; Joseph Smith, MD

Register Now

AOFAS Annual Meeting Programming

AOFAS Annual Meeting 2022 included a DEI Symposium followed by a reception. This year's symposium was headlined by Tara Houska, a tribal attorney, land defender, and environmental and Indigenous rights advocate.

 
Bioskills Workshops

In collaboration with Nth Dimensions, AOFAS held two half-day workshops to introduce first- and second-year URM medical students to orthopaedic surgery, specifically foot and ankle surgery. The program addresses curricular defects in orthopaedic surgery and targets early exposure of first- and second-year URM medical students to increase the diversity of the AOFAS surgeon workforce through early mentoring.

See our Instagram page for highlights from the workshops!

• July 16, 2022 at Emory University (Atlanta, GA)

• October 22, 2022 at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (Los Angeles, CA)

Nth Dimensions Summer Internship Program

AOFAS sponsored one first-year medical student to complete an internship with an experienced AOFAS member. The student also attended the National Medical Association Meeting, where they presented research from the internship. Support will continue through USMLE Step 1 board preparation and ongoing mentorship.