Diversity at ASPN
It is a word many like to discuss, and it is sometimes the point of controversy. In politics it is a weapon. One party makes it mandatory; one party bans mandatory laws. You can pick a side, but this doesn’t make you diverse. You can be “woke” or you can be anti-woke.
There are only two possibilities: You have experienced a diverse portion of your life that shaped you for better or worse, or you have been segregated and that also changed your thought processes. Either of these experiences are often a function of where you were born, where your parents lived, where you went to school, where you had an employment opportunity, and often these factors are beyond your control.
The great news, regardless of your situation in any of these issues, is that as a society we can choose to surround ourselves with great people from every walk of life who have different experiences and viewpoints. That is our goal at ASPN: to make the most impactful society that embraces the differences in our members and partners, not because we require it but because we know it makes us better.
For me, this has been an easy decision as the Chairman of ASPN and ISPN. I have been blessed to have been one of those surrounded by diverse people most of my life.
I grew up in a state that was 96% white, yet in my small little coal mining town, we had a great mix of races. We were all children of coal miners, had the same amount of money (not much), and had a common enemy (anyone who didn’t grow up in our town). This togetherness was cemented even further in high school and college sports where we created strong bonds and realized that working together was the best option to be a winning team. I also thought it was normal to surround yourself with a variety of people and learn something from everyone, whether that be a good lesson or learning what is not advisable to do.
Diversity for me then disappeared in medical school, residency, and fellowship. I saw very few differences, little diversity, and little variability of thought. That theme persisted in my early experiences in societies.
I was surrounded by men who dominated the discussions, and if you wanted to advance, you had to be on board with the philosophy. When I suggested women or certain groups of minorities, I was told, “We will see,” but rarely did these recommendations find the way to an appointment or change. I would suggest authors for papers to increase diversity, but the final list rarely was diverse.
Finally, in 2018, I reached my limit of tolerating this “old boys” club, and that was my decisive moment to start the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience.
As I partnered with Dawood Sayed, a dynamic younger physician of a different race, we had a mission. Our new society would be driven to give everyone a voice: the young doctor, the old doctor, the academic doctor, the private practitioner, the APP, the industry leader, the industry rep, the engineers, the scientists, corporate partners, investors, and, perhaps most importantly, residents and fellows who would shape the future of our field.
We committed to this not because we were driven by DEI—quite the opposite. We committed to this philosophy because we wanted to be the best, and that takes multiple perspectives. I learned that in my small town in Southern West Virginia, and those lessons remain true today with medicine and with my many wonderful friendships.
I promise as you walk into the meeting at the Fontainebleau in South Beach on July 16, you will feel the family. You will feel the welcomeness, and you will become a member of the ASPN community.
See you in Miami.