The American Burn Association stands in solidarity against racism and hate. We affirm our commitment to work together each day to constructively address disparities and foster an inclusive culture, both within our leadership and membership. We are committed to inclusion, condemn intolerance, and stand up for justice; furthermore, we champion equality and diversity.
Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by violence & injustice. We commit to holding ourselves and each other accountable for the health care environment as it relates to our patients and our staff. We must make equity a cornerstone of our daily work.
The ABA is committed to redoubling our efforts to ensure we are representative of all our members at every level. Even prior to the events of the past two weeks, Dr. Victor Joe, as chair of the Organization and Delivery of Burn Care Committee, had initiated an “ODBC Working Group on Diversity & Inclusion.” Dr. Juvonda Hodge accepted his invitation to chair this group. Their plan is to develop ideas prior to the next ODBC virtual meeting on June 24th. Recent events make it clear that this work group is essential to our mission of improving the lives of everyone affected by burn injury. They will add ad hoc members to the workgroup as needed and reach out to members of our organization for ideas and assistance.
We encourage our members to actively work to dismantle structural racism in the health care systems in which we work. From the standpoint of physicians, staff and patients who see first-hand the consequences of discrimination, racism, and violence on individual and population health we are committed to contributing to solutions.
We invite you, our members, to share your ideas on initiatives you feel will help the ABA address problems of diversity and inclusion in the ABA, burn surgery, and our role as members of society. You can do so by sharing your thoughts via email, with a Board member, on myAmeriburn, or submitting ideas confidentially through this link.
