TY - JOUR
T1 - Finding Comfort in Discomfort… Reflecting on Stories Told
AU - Vitous, C. Ann
AU - Bamdad, Michaela
AU - Bankhead, Brittany K.
AU - McElroy, Imani E.
AU - Mogal, Harveshp
AU - Thanawala, Ruchi
AU - Ghaferi, Amir
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2024/1
Y1 - 2024/1
N2 - Introduction: The 2022 Presidential Address for the Association for Academic Surgery was focused on better understanding the personal and professional challenges faced by surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: As part of this work, we embarked on a listening tour, inviting surgeons from all over the country to tell us their stories. This led to forming a panel of five selected participants based on how their stories crosscut many of the most prevalent themes during those conversations. Here, we present thematic excerpts of the 2022 presidential panel, intending to capture that moment and challenge surgeons to contribute to an ever-evolving movement that pushes us to unpack some of our greatest areas of discomfort. Results: We found that, in many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus what many surgeons from marginalized groups have historically struggled with. Dominant themes from these conversations included the role of surgery in informing identity, the tensions between personal and professional identity, the consequences of maintaining medicine as an apolitical space, and reflections on initiatives to address inequities. Panelists also reflected on the hope that these conversations are part of a movement that leads to sustained change rather than a passing moment. Conclusions: The primary goal of this work was to center voices and experiences in a way that challenges us to become comfortable with topics that often cause discomfort, validate experiences, and foster a community that allows us to rethink what and whom we value in surgery. We hope this work serves as a guide to having these conversations in other institutions.
AB - Introduction: The 2022 Presidential Address for the Association for Academic Surgery was focused on better understanding the personal and professional challenges faced by surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: As part of this work, we embarked on a listening tour, inviting surgeons from all over the country to tell us their stories. This led to forming a panel of five selected participants based on how their stories crosscut many of the most prevalent themes during those conversations. Here, we present thematic excerpts of the 2022 presidential panel, intending to capture that moment and challenge surgeons to contribute to an ever-evolving movement that pushes us to unpack some of our greatest areas of discomfort. Results: We found that, in many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic brought into focus what many surgeons from marginalized groups have historically struggled with. Dominant themes from these conversations included the role of surgery in informing identity, the tensions between personal and professional identity, the consequences of maintaining medicine as an apolitical space, and reflections on initiatives to address inequities. Panelists also reflected on the hope that these conversations are part of a movement that leads to sustained change rather than a passing moment. Conclusions: The primary goal of this work was to center voices and experiences in a way that challenges us to become comfortable with topics that often cause discomfort, validate experiences, and foster a community that allows us to rethink what and whom we value in surgery. We hope this work serves as a guide to having these conversations in other institutions.
KW - Culture change
KW - DEI initiatives
KW - Surgeon identity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85152662297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85152662297&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jss.2022.12.045
DO - 10.1016/j.jss.2022.12.045
M3 - Article
C2 - 37062668
AN - SCOPUS:85152662297
SN - 0022-4804
VL - 293
SP - A1-A7
JO - Journal of Surgical Research
JF - Journal of Surgical Research
ER -