Endocrine Society holds vigil, moment of silence for racial injustice
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The Endocrine Society held silent for 8 minutes and 46 seconds to acknowledge the death of George Floyd and then spoke of efforts to build a more inclusive environment and increase minority representation in science and health care.
“As you all know, much of the world is coming together to protest racism, discrimination and hatred,” Gary D. Hammer, MD, PhD, president of the Endocrine Society, said during an anti-racism vigil at ENDO Online. “These recent protests may have started with the killing of George Floyd, but the roots go back centuries. And while much of the focus right now has been on interactions with law enforcement, we as doctors and scientists are well aware that many of these destructive forces are present in education, in academia, in research and in our health care systems.”
This year the Endocrine Society is celebrating 25 years since the formation of the minority affairs committee, now known as the committee on diversity and inclusion, Carol Wysham, MD, president-elect of the Endocrine Society and an Endocrine Today Editorial Board Member, said during the vigil. One of the committee’s major priorities is the Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology, or FLARE, a program for basic science, clinical research trainees, and junior faculty from underrepresented communities who have demonstrated achievement in endocrine research, she said. The FLARE program currently has 150 members and provides leadership development and training in areas ranging from grantsmanship to lab management, according to the society.
The society has also championed a systematic approach to integrate diversity and inclusion into our core programs, Wysham said, while working to decrease education and health disparities.
“This work is far from over, and particularly in times such as these, we acknowledge a greater urgency to get more done,” Wysham said.
E. Dale Abel, MD, PhD, immediate past-president of the Endocrine Society, said that the society must voice its “clear opposition to racism and its pervasive consequences.”
“Many of our colleagues are hurting and struggling to overcome the recent, brutal portrayals of racism,” Abel said during the vigil. “For many, it was a shocking wakeup call. For others, it was a stark reminder of the reality that racial discrimination for some can be a matter of life and death.”
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Hammer GD, et al. Anti-racism vigil. ENDO Online; June 8-19, 2020.
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