Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Trainee
Robert Rosen, MD (he/him/his)
Clinical Fellow
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Courtney Gilliam, MD (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Jessica Hippolyte, MD MPH (she/her/hers)
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellow
Children's National Health System
Children's National Hospital
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir, MD, MS (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Pediatrics in Environmental Health Sciences
Columbia University Medical Center
New York, New York, United States
Catherine Gordon, MD, MS (she/her/hers)
Pediatric Endocrinologist / Adolescent Specialist
Bethesda, MD
Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Nora Renthal, MD (she/her/hers)
Medical Director, Bone Health Program
Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts, United States
Workshop
Description: Race, ethnicity, and ancestry terms appear frequently in published pediatric clinical guidelines in ways that may negatively impact health equity. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has called for a critical examination of race, ethnicity, and ancestry terms in clinical guidelines, but the use of these terms in clinical decision-making persists. Meanwhile, individual pediatricians are left to grapple with difficult questions. What is the quality of the evidence underlying the clinical guidelines? Should the patient in front of them receive a specific test or treatment as a result of their identity? What can pediatricians do at their own institutions to promote equitable care? The goal of this interactive workshop is to empower pediatricians with a structured framework approach to the evaluation of race, ethnicity, and ancestry terms in order to promote health equity in local clinical practice environments.
After a brief didactic presentation introducing a structured framework, participants will self-select into small discussion groups facilitated by subject matter experts. Each group will review a clinical scenario in which race, ethnicity, and ancestry terms are referenced in contemporary clinical practice, and which have been the subject of recent academic debate (influenza, pulmonary function testing, and bone density scanning). The workshop will review clinical vignettes, supporting evidence from literature, and walk participants through completion of the structured framework questions. Each group will then share key takeaways with the larger group. The session will end with completion of an individual action plan to be applied to local practice and institutional environments.