Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Task Force
In the summer of 2021, a National Academies of Practice DEI Task Force was developed to promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive interprofessional community of practitioners, scholars, and professionals that would focus on NAP strategic initiatives related to these themes. Each NAP Academy Chair was asked to select a representative for the task force that would be able to represent the views and advocate for the interests of underrepresented individuals or groups as well as represent the consensus views of their academy. Attempts were made to reach out to specific academies that did not have representation on the task force. Additional members were added that had particular interests in collaborating with NAP colleagues as change agents for diversity, equity, and inclusion excellence. NAP President, Rick Weisbarth, appointed Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese, as chair of this taskforce.
The task force started its work by creating a mission, vision, and values statement. This work was led by members, Michael Blackwell, Nicole Wilkins, and Diane Bruessow. We were working within a framework that assumes that vision (where we are going), mission (how we will get there), and values (what guides our journey) statements would help focus our work and provide guidance to those new to thinking about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. One of our first proposals was to shift from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). Adding justice acknowledges the importance of dismantling barriers to resources and opportunities in achieving diversity equity and inclusion.
Our task force arrived at the following statements to guide our work:
Vision
- We envision a society where health professionals and health professional students of all disciplines work collaboratively to achieve their full potential in service of a just, diverse, equitable, and inclusive society.
Mission
- To integrate justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) into National Academies of Practice culture and practices.
Values
- Justice – Ensuring that all NAP programs and initiatives are impartial and fair; there is fairness in distribution of opportunities, privileges, and access to advancement.
- Equity – Ensuring that all NAP programs and initiatives provide equitable outcomes for everyone given existing systemic and structural imbalances recognizing the distinction between equity and equality.
- Diversity – Recognizing the individual attributes, social identities, and perspectives of all NAP members, prospective members, staff, partner organizations, and sponsors in all that we do. Examples would include (but not be limited to) differences in race, age, ethnicity, culture, geography, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, professional experience, discipline, veteran status, political views, spiritual and religious views, family status, socioeconomic status, and ability/disability status.
- Inclusion – Fostering a culture that makes every NAP stakeholder feel welcome, comfortable, valued, respected, and supported in our organization. Difference is valued and appreciated; all members have a voice and can contribute meaningfully to the organization.
As the 2023 Forum draws near, and we approach the end of our JEDI Taskforce term, we reflect on the accomplishments of the past year:
- We reviewed the demographic diversity data provided by members in NAPNetCon [Jan 2021-Aug 2022] in order to identify gaps and areas to target for improvement. The demographic profile questions can be found under each member’s profile.
- We developed a NAP position statement on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. This effort was led by Olaide Oluwole-Sangoseni and includes input from the entire JEDI Task Force. We express NAP’s commitment to membership diversity, creating a just and equitable environment for all stakeholders, and promoting a culture that strengthens society’s well-being and healthcare systems. The position statement is a public commitment to an inclusive culture that makes all feel welcome, comfortable, valued, respected, and supported in our organization. The statement was approved by the NAP Council and posted to the NAP website in December 2022.
- We prepared recommendations for the NAP Council on the impact of costs/financial decisions on membership engagement. This work was led by Bob Smith and Shirley Otis-Green.
- We partnered with the NAP Forum Planning Committee, Professional Development Committee, Lexicon Workgroup, and Public Partnership Committee to ensure that themes of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion were integrated into the work of these committees.
- We created a climate survey designed to capture our ability to foster an inclusive culture/climate of belonging where the lived experiences of members and staff are valued and celebrated. Work on the climate survey was led by Shirley Otis-Green and Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese, and launched with membership renewal in November 2022.
- Currently, we are working on a model for recruiting diverse candidates for NAP membership, led by Travis Threats. We recognize that simply relying on current “who-we-know” networks is not sufficient for recruiting individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Most importantly, however, we need to ensure that the culture within NAP is welcoming and affirming to healthcare leaders from all backgrounds.
We envision an organization where health professionals and health professional students of all disciplines work collaboratively to achieve their full potential in service of a just, diverse, equitable, and inclusive society. The National Academies of Practice is positioned to be a leader in these efforts.
Task Force Members
Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese Physical Therapy |
Rick Weisbarth Optometry |
Michael Blackwell Veterinary Medicine |
Annie Lin Pharmacy |
Lemmietta McNeilly Speech-Language Pathology |
Dani Moffit Athletic Training |
Olaide Oluwole-Sangoseni Physical Therapy |
Shirley Otis-Green Social Work |
Bob Smith Podiatric Medicine |
Travis Threats Speech-Language Pathology |
Cathi Grus Psychology |
Arvie Vitente Physical Therapy |
Not pictured: Nicole Wilkins (Athletic Training), Diane Bruessow, Althea Grey (Audiology),
Carmon Davis (Allopathic & Osteopathic Medicine), Beverly Baliko (Nursing),
Janet Leasher (Optometry), Steven Taff (Occupational Therapy)