ACOG Green Journal: Stand up for equity

ACOG Green Journal: Stand up for equity

OBHG clinician Dr. Jane van Dis recently co-authored an editorial for the Green Journal, the official journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), about advancing women’s health care through gender and racial equity.

The editorial, “Stand up for Equity,” encourages professionals in the obstetrics and gynecology specialty to stand up for women’s health through education, practice, research and advocacy.

Dr. van Dis collaborated on the editorial with Dr. Sarah England from the Department of ObGyn, Washington University School of Medicine.

In the editorial, Drs. van Dis and England maintain that equity in OB/GYN requires that “we hold ourselves, our departments, and our scientific and academic medical societies accountable in their commitments to promote equity, increase diversity at all levels (including the executive level), and speak out against discriminatory practices that undermine our core mission of helping women.”

Furthermore, they argue that published data do not tell the whole story. “We must listen to the narratives of physicians who stepped off the partner track because of harassment, practitioners who switched employers or institutions to avoid those in power who ignored their complaints, and researchers who left academia because of discrimination, hostile environments, or inability to obtain research funding. Our lives, our colleagues’ lives, our trainees’ lives, and our patients’ lives demand broad, measurable, and active engagement. It is time for those in our field to stand up for what we believe.”

To read the complete article, visit The Green Journal website.