Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Developing a research agendafor addressing Racism in Emergency Medicine

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Racism has had a profound effect on healthcare outcomes, as well as influencing social determinants of health. Despite the dramatic data around these disparities, research into the effect of racism and tangible steps towards mitigation of racism on healthcare have lagged behind traditional research. Although Emergency Medicine is a field that generally focuses on acute injury and illness, it also has a distinct social and statutory mandate to treat everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, as well as the role as a gatekeeper to further care. As such, Emergency Departments (EDs) disproportionately care for vulnerable and underserved communities, and are uniquely situated to be focused on racial inequities, including social determinants of health, such as unstable housing, food insecurity, and interpersonal violence. It is crucial that we examine how race affects healthcare in all aspects, from clinical outcomes, to recruitment into the medical profession, to training, to retention, to promotion. In order to propel an evaluation of race in Emergency Medicine forward and address ways in which Emergency Medicine can more effectively identify and intervene to address racism, we propose a Consensus Conference, “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Developing a research agenda for addressing Racism in Emergency Medicine.” The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) has successfully led twenty prior annual consensus conferences, and has assembled a diverse group of content experts, researchers, policymakers, and other key stakeholders. The consensus conference has three specific aims: (1) Identify best practices, clarify knowledge gaps, and prioritize research questions pertaining to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (2) Bring together key stakeholders with varied backgrounds to promote collaboration and develop new research partnerships; and (3) Disseminate findings of the consensus conference and evidence-based practices through peer-reviewed publications, digital media, community-based organizations, and other diverse venues. This conference will result in a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion research agenda that supports future interdisciplinary research that aims to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations, as well as changing the face of Emergency Medicine.