FEATURE STORY
department of surgery faculty members. Academic surgeons, a name that evolved in the 1960s, are typically seen as the "triple threat." They are surgeons that operate and care for patients, teach medical students and residents, and conduct research. Members of the Society of Black Academic Surgeons (SBAS) within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. are: • Obinna Adibe, MD, MSc., FAAP (Delta Eta 1996, Consulting Associate Professor, Duke University) • Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS (Eta Sigma 2004, Assis- tant Professor of Surgery, Uni- versity of Pennsylvania) • Omar K. Danner, MD, FACS (Eta Chi 1987, Professor of Sur- gery, Morehouse University) • J. Keith Melancon, MD, FACS (Theta Nu 1987, Professor of Surgery, George Washington University) • Anthony C. Watkins, MD, FACS (Alpha Delta 1998,
these prior conversations about increas- ing racial diversity of the physician work- force have made a difference. Butler states, "But has any of the suggestions for enhancing diversity "truly" been taken seriously? Remarks such as 'at least there is more diversity than there was before' or 'things like diversity take time' or 'it’s a systemic problem, and you should focus your attention at the elementary school level to increase the pool of minority candidates,’ suggests otherwise. We are left to assume that those in power are either not convinced it’s a concern, satisfied with the status quo, or simply refuse to be committed to this cause.” Medical literature reveals that, unfor- tunately, things have not significantly improved for Black and Brown physi- cians and particularly Black and Brown surgeons, since integration (~1968). “There are fewer Black males in medical school now than there were in 1978,” Butler noted. In addition, Butler remarked that faculty representation of Black assistant, associate, and full professors within U.S. departments of surgery have either remained unchanged or decreased since 2005. There are fewer Black surgery de- partment chairs in 2020 than there were in 2008, and if the three historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are removed, there are only four Black surgery department chairs in the entire U.S. That is just 2.6 percent of the 154 departments of surgery recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). When asked to reflect on how these statistics interface with the country (and the world) being in the midst of a pandemic, Butler responded that “COVID-19 has really highlighted the need for more African American doc- tors in general, but especially academic surgeons. We know that COVID-19 had disproportionately impacted our Black and brown communities. To enhance the provision of care and research en- deavors targeting these communities, an increase in Black and Brown physicians and surgeons is paramount.”
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery, New York University)
In a recent article published in the American Journal of Surgery , Butler ex- plained that "Black and Brown surgeons who chose the life of academic surgery have historically been mindful and con- sciously respectful of the overwhelm- ingly Caucasian and male-dominant academic surgery system, and to those that have led it." However, black and brown surgeons have grown increasingly more vocal about the topic of enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Butler goes on to mention that "The argument for more black representation started as a social justice argument, transitioned to a data-heavy rationale to create a surgical workforce more reflective of our U.S. demographic, and has most recently turned to one of "Quality and Excel- lence." Butler and others, when asked about the recent racial unrest, question if
20 | WINTER 2020-SPRING 2021 ♦ THE JOURNAL
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