The head of the nation's largest organization representing African-American physicians and their patients says that at a time when momentum for advancing equity has slowed, advancing equity requires empathy and a willingness to embrace diverse perspectives. He said that strong leaders are essential.
Dr. Yolanda Lawson, president of the American Medical Association, also said that a lack of recognition threatens to undermine progress toward improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care. She spoke to U.S. News while attending a two-day summit hosted by Black Directors Health Equity Agenda in Washington, D.C. The event was focused in part on addressing headwinds that impede meaningful change.
Lawson, an obstetrician-gynecologist who also works on issues of disparities in HIV treatment and prevention, will discuss how leaders can overcome DEI barriers, as well as how to protect moral rights in frozen embryos used for infertility treatment. Reaction to the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision granting. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What are the biggest challenges today in efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare?
Lawson: The biggest challenge today is the lack of awareness that health inequalities and disparities exist. In my case, I feel that my progress is stalled by not being recognized. Not only is it slowing down progress, we are beginning to see a reversal of progress.
Therefore, if we do not acknowledge the health inequalities that inform our policies, those policies will reverse the progress we have made and the progress we continue to make. Masu.
Why is there a backlash to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts?
Lawson: I think it's clear sometimes that all lives are not valued equally in this country. Unfortunately, sometimes stories are created that don't reflect the real situations people live in and don't reflect reality.
What is the best approach to overcoming barriers to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion? How can we make more substantive progress?
Lawson: The only way forward is to have leaders who are empathetic, truthful, and willing to listen and be informed by diverse voices. I think that sometimes our leaders can only get information from a small section of society. It is necessary to listen. Because that's going to influence policy that covers a broad enough lens to really overcome this problem. But it will take a long time for that to happen from where we are now.
We saw an acceleration of this after the death of George Floyd as everyone embraced fairness. That really was a turning point, and I thought we could overcome this and have a big impact on this country. But unfortunately, we're now seeing this backlash. To overcome it, we need to ensure empathetic leadership.
Why is increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in health care an important part of efforts to address racial health inequities?
Lawson: We do not live in a monolithic or homogeneous society. Although there are many different ages, genders, races, and ethnicities, you can create subcategories as wide as you like. Therefore, to apply policy, it is important to research and base recommendations on a population that represents the United States as a country.
How do you think the Alabama Supreme Court's decision that embryos used for IVF are children will affect access to such treatments for a broader range of women, especially women of color? mosquito?
Lawson: This judgment was actually shocking to me. It was completely shocking to me. I feel this is another example of policymakers approaching health care without fully understanding the long-term, long-term effects.
You just haven't thought through the full nature and impact of such a decision.
