Program for the Advancement of Surgical Equity

Statement on JAMA Tweet and Podcast

We at PASE-UCLA strongly acknowledge that structural racism exists and continues to harm people daily. We know that denying the existence of structural racism is racist, not evidence-based, and invalidating of the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). PASE will continue to fight systemic racism in medicine, research, public health, and society through education, advocacy, and action. For those who are hurt by systemic racism and its repeated denial: we see you; we hear you; we will continue to listen to and fight with you. For those who do not understand systematic racism or how its denial can be so hurtful and traumatizing to BIPOC, please start by learning more before voicing an opinion (see resources below). This is not a definitive statement on this complex, ongoing, and critical problem—it is only the beginning.

BMJ Blog on the Roots of Racism in Medicine:
Apologies Alone Won’t Solve Structural Racism: We Need a Reckoning with the Racist Roots of U.S. Medicine

NEJM Articles on Structural Racism:
How Structural Racism Works — Racist Policies as a Root Cause of U.S. Racial Health Inequities
Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives — The Role of Health Professionals
Diagnosing and Treating Systemic Racism

White Privilege:
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Books:
Caste: The Origins of our Discontents (by Isabel Wilkerson)
How to be an Antiracist (by Ibram X. Kendi)
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (by Robin J. DiAngelo)

Personal Experiences:
The prescription America needs right now is more than a vaccine

Sincerely,

Rochelle Dicker, MD and Catherine Juillard, MD (PASE co-Directors) and the PASE team

Vision:

To reduce the disparities in surgical disease outcomes by promoting collaborative research, community partnerships, and supporting capacity building through training and education.

Mission:

Develop long term partnerships with local and international organizations and institutions to identify opportunities to improve access to and delivery of surgical care through program development, research and education.
Conduct rigorous epidemiological studies that highlight injury and surgical inequity and test solutions to inform policy.
Educate and train future leaders in surgical equity and global surgery.

Global Surgery