Dear SGO colleagues, friends, and gynecologic oncology community:
“Celebrate Diversity” – the suspended sign across the Broadway thoroughfare – encouraged us to rejoice in our differences and unite together. It was 1992, and I was a medical student at the University of Washington often hanging around the eclectic and fun Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. Thirty years later, this message still resonates with me. While our backgrounds may be diverse, we all have our stories, our hopes and our dreams. As we celebrate Juneteenth today, let’s aspire to prioritize inclusion, equity, justice, and access to care for all every day.
To honor this important holiday, it was my pleasure to invite SGO members Eloise Chapman-Davis, MD, Diversity Inclusion and Health Equity (DIHE) Representative, Foundation for Women’s Cancer Board, and Jeffrey Hines, MD, DIHE Chair and SGO Board representative, as featured contributors for Presidential Matters. I appreciate their dedication and thoughtful outline of how we can best collaborate to ensure health equity for all individuals affected by gynecologic cancer and promote the next generation of providers.
– Angeles Alvarez Secord, MD, MHSc
As healthcare providers, we have a unique responsibility to be attuned to the significance of Juneteenth and its relevance to the communities we serve. Gynecologic cancers, unfortunately, disproportionately affect minoritized and marginalized communities, including Black, Latine, Indigenous, and rural-residing women. These disparities are rooted in systemic racism, socioeconomic inequities, and limited access to quality healthcare, leading to higher rates of diagnosis, advanced stages at diagnosis, and poorer outcomes within these communities.
Recognizing Juneteenth offers us an opportunity to reflect on historical injustices that have perpetuated health disparities and to renew our commitment to advancing health equity, inclusion, and justice. It calls upon us to examine the structural, systemic, and institutional barriers that continue to impede access to timely and guideline-concordant care for underserved populations. By acknowledging Juneteenth, we can elevate the conversation on justice, anti-racism and health equity and work collectively to dismantle these barriers, ensuring that every individual receives equitable care and has a fair chance at the best possible outcomes.
So, what can we do as members of this organization to elevate the conversation on health equity, inclusion, and justice?
Education and awareness: Increase our understanding of the historical and social factors that contribute to health disparities and ensure that our knowledge is rooted in an intersectional approach.
Driving care with cultural humility: Provide culturally sensitive care that respects and addresses the unique needs and experiences of patients from diverse backgrounds.
Advocacy: Partner with organizations to dismantle structures and systems that obstruct access to quality healthcare, early detection, prevention, and treatment of gynecologic cancers for marginalized communities.
Collaboration: Foster proximate collaborations with community organizations and stakeholders to address the social determinants of health that perpetuate health disparities and work towards collective solutions.
Mentorship and representation: Promote diversity, belonging and inclusive environments within our organization and profession through mentoring, sponsorship and coaching aspiring gynecologic oncologists from underrepresented backgrounds.
By embracing actions and initiatives like these, we can make significant strides towards addressing the disparities faced by marginalized communities that have endured oppression. Additionally, we can ensure that our healthcare systems are equitable, inclusive, and just. It is timely that the month of June is also the inaugural Uterine Cancer Awareness Month globally. As we continue to seek and raise awareness and resources for uterine cancer, let us stand together in solidarity, to help reduce health disparities not only for uterine cancer but for all gynecologic cancers.
As we celebrate Juneteenth this year, let us reaffirm our commitment to providing compassionate, patient-centered care to all, regardless of their background or circumstances. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and create a more equitable future for our patients and communities.
Thank you for your continued dedication and for joining hands in the pursuit of health equity.
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Eloise Chapman-Davis, MD
SGO Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity Committee
FWC Board Member
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Jeffrey Hines, MD
SGO Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity Committee
SGO Board Member
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