Leadership Corner – September 2022

Inclusion in Endocrinology Fellowships

David C. Lieb, MD, FACE, FACP
Aaron Vinik, MD, PhD Professor of Internal Medicine
Program Director, Endocrinology Fellowship Program
Eastern Virginia Medical School

For the last month I’ve been involved in something pretty great. The Boy Scouts of America – now called Scouts BSA – has added a new merit badge for all scouts that want to reach the pinnacle of scouting – the Eagle Scout. There have been some famous Eagle Scouts over the years – Neil Armstrong, Bill Gates, and Steven Spielberg to name just a few. My three boys are all very involved in Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA, and hope to join the lofty ranks of Eagle Scouts that have come before them. In order to become an Eagle Scout, they must complete a certain number of 135 available activities, termed merit badges. Some are what you may consider more traditional – involving sports, camping and the arts. But there are more unique badges, like chess, coin collecting, cooking, and even dog care. The goal is to develop well-rounded individuals – and importantly, future leaders.

So what’s the new merit badge? It’s called Citizenship in Society – and per Scouts BSA – the goal of the badge is “to help educate Scouts on what diversity, equity, and inclusion are; why they are important; and how to lead ethically and inclusively to contribute to the cultivation of an environment of belonging for all Scouts”. I’m proud to help co-facilitate the 6 sessions our Troop is holding over the next two months.  In addition to DEI, we’re discussing what it means to be an upstander and an ethical leader.  It’s really great and I’m enjoying the discussions I’ve had with the kids in our troop.

So what does this have to do with endocrinology fellowships? Well, when I had to talk about DEI with a group of 12-15 year olds, I had to think more critically about what it actually means.  And in particular, I have focused on ‘inclusion’. I read a great article about inclusion in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) in preparation for my department’s monthly Leadership Club called ‘A Seat at the Table Is Not Enough’, that focused on inclusion. Basically, corporate boards are more diverse than ever before – but – more diversity does not equal greater inclusion. For example, a study done of 54 US public companies found that while company boards were more diverse, the women and Black directors on the boards typically did not speak as much as the white men on those same boards. There are multiple reasons for this – but the bottom line is that without being inclusive, a more diverse board will lose all of the benefits and significance of that diversity.

In endocrinology, and in APDEM, we are striving to create more diverse fellowship programs – which includes more diverse trainees, leaders and teaching faculty. And as we succeed – we’ll need to ensure that we don’t forget that last part of DEI – the inclusion.  So – how can we be more inclusive? We must include everyone in our program in discussions that create needed change. We need to hear everyone’s opinions and recommendations. This may include hearing someone’s perspective that is different from own – perhaps from their experiences going through medical training in another country, or experiences that they bring with them from a previous career prior to medicine. We must listen to others and provide them with time to talk at each and every gathering we hold. This includes didactics as well as on rounds, and also in important meetings such as our CCC and PEC meetings. Sometimes as a leader it may feel like our role is to speak up, and, well, lead. But – leading often means listening. In fact, from what I’ve experienced thus far as a program director – listening is usually much more important than talking.

Scouts are ‘always prepared’. That’s their motto and has been for over 100 years. As we develop much needed diversity in endocrinology, we need to be prepared to be inclusive as well.

Dr. Lieb serves on APDEM’s Council and is chair of the COVID Task Force, Co-chair of the Newsletter Committee and a member of APDEM’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.  He also leads APDEM’s Facebook Group. 

APDEM Facebook Group – If you are interested in joining the APDEM Facebook group, please search for ‘Association of Program Directors in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism’ in Facebook. You will be asked a series of questions, and then admitted once your membership in APDEM has been confirmed. If you have any questions about this group, please email David Lieb, Newsletter Committee Chair, at liebdc@evms.edu.