We must actively work to diversify our profession
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I grew up the oldest of six children in a white family. During my first few years of life, my father attended medical school while my mother focused on raising us in St. Louis. Ms. Artie, our part-time nanny who was black, helped my parents care for us. To us, Artie was part of our family. We were taught to respect people, without regard to race, gender or religion.
After my father’s education and time in the U.S. Navy, we moved to the small town of Pocatello, Idaho. Not one black student attended any of my schools. I went to college in the Midwest. Today, it has a black student population of less than 5%. There was minimal representation of black students in my medical school and residency. I selected orthopedic surgery, which is 86% white and less than 2% black, based on 2018 census data.
Time to see reality
As a white man, I rarely experience racism toward me. My white privilege was bestowed upon me by society after generations of treating white people more favorably than those with a different skin color. When events of blatant racism occur, I, like many white men, find comfort in stating I am not racist. I do not judge others by the color of their skin and I condemn this behavior.
Sadly, I have failed my community. While I do not personally accept responsibility for the behavior of those who commit crimes motivated by racism, I accept that I should be actively communicating or behaving in ways that recognize the depth of racism in our society.
I believe the black community has suffered the greatest level of racism and injustice in the United States. It is important to specifically state that “Black Lives Matter” to support increased awareness of how black lives are adversely affected. It is unacceptable to be colorblind. We need to see the reality of racism that exists in our society.
As orthopedic surgeons, we must recognize that systemic racism and bias are reflected in our profession. We have not made an acceptable effort to reach out to the black community with mentorship and support through the challenging medical education process. Also, the black community is generally affected more adversely by social determinants of health, which we often fail to consider when offering surgical care. Our research and outcomes studies rarely evaluate the results based on race, assuming it has no impact, despite evidence from other medical professions that race can be an independent risk factor. We do not know if race is correlated with the outcomes or if socioeconomic environments established by systemic racism is the true cause. Furthermore, the lack of focus on these issues only serves to further marginalize the black community.
Time for change is now
Recent events have underscored systemic racism and social injustice in our country. These events should inspire us to go beyond simply not being racist. We must be anti-racist and actively support the peaceful, thoughtful and just movement.
We must work toward eliminating the racism that inhibits our ability to establish a culturally diverse profession. These efforts should include developing sustained support for minority college and medical students interested in orthopedics, as well as our young black orthopedic surgeons so they have the opportunity to serve as mentors to those who follow them. The time for substantive change in our behavior is now.
For more information:
Anthony A. Romeo, MD, is the Chief Medical Editor of Orthopedics Today. He can be reached at Orthopedics Today, 6900 Grove Road, Thorofare, NJ 08086; email: orthopedics@healio.com.