Moving Forward with DEI and Health Equity in Radiology

Long before the formation of RSNA’s Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (CDEI) in 2018, RSNA exemplified gender diversity in its leadership. And since the CDEI’s first meeting, the Society has highlighted DEI issues in the profession and affected change where possible.

While women have long been instrumental in the Society’s leadership, at the CDEI’s recommendation in 2020, RSNA began requiring unconscious bias training for all committee chairs, editorial board members and program planners. The RSNA Board also issued a directive to RSNA leaders to be more intentional in making recommendations for committee members, faculty, presenters and other volunteers to better reflect the membership, adding:

“Considering the key role that leaders and faculty play in attracting underrepresented groups to the profession, in an effort to further diversify the profession, RSNA aspires to increase leadership and faculty diversity beyond that which is representative of the profession to more closely reflect the patients we serve.”

To proactively work toward more diversity in volunteer and leadership positions in RSNA and to have a more complete picture of its membership, the Society has begun collecting more information from its members regarding race/ethnicity and non-binary gender data.

Recently, more than 100 RSNA members have volunteered for the CDEI. With so many members committed to DEI causes but limited slots on the committee itself, the Society surveyed the volunteers to better understand their specific DEI interests and passions. RSNA is now identifying projects, programs and opportunities to enlist their assistance in improving the DEI outlook for the profession.

The CDEI also assisted in the creation of a statement of RSNA’s formal Commitment to DEI (RSNA.org). In collaboration with the Professionalism Committee, the CDEI drafted the Society’s Welcoming Environment statement (RSNA.org/DEI) promoting RSNA’s commitment to provide a safe space for all participants in RSNA events and activities and to encourage a culture of allyship.

RSNA has recently participated in other programs and policies to implement change, including but not limited to:

• Increased the number of RSNA Board of Directors positions to enable more diverse voices and experience to the Society’s leadership.

• Appointed CDEI member Jinel Scott, MD, as RSNA representative to the Radiology Health Equity Coalition.

• Supported ABR’s proposed policy for parental/family/medical leave allowing for 12 weeks leave without extension of training for eligibility requirement.

• Established RSNA minority medical student grants that empower minority students to engage in medical imaging research earlier in their career, with support from the R&E Foundation.

And this year, as always, RSNA 2021 has a plethora of courses, scientific presentations, lectures and exhibits related to DEI and health equity, several of them sponsored by the CDEI.

We hope to see you in Chicago as we continue learning from each other and making progress toward a more diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for ourselves, our colleagues and our patients.