ASCO News

The Federation of Associations of Schools of the Health Professions (FASHP) has declared the low number of historically underrepresented men of color (HUMOC) graduating and entering the health care professions a national crisis. Representing CEOs of national academic health professions associations, FASHP has released a consensus statement addressing this critical issue. FASHP is calling on local and national educational, health care, governmental and community leaders to raise awareness regarding this critical issue and to identify barriers and provide resources to dramatically increase the number of men of color graduating from the academic health professions.

“We must urgently join forces with P-16 education, government, health care, corporations and other leaders to remove pathway barriers and adopt robust strategies that facilitate a significant increase in the number of historically underrepresented men of color entering and graduating from dental, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, social work and other health professions schools,” said Dr. Karen P. West, Secretary of FASHP and President and CEO of the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).

“The development of a diverse healthcare workforce is a critical goal for all FASHP member associations,” added FASHP President Dawn Mancuso, MAM, CAE, FASAE, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. “Our patients deserve the best care we can provide, and that requires a concerted, broader effort to motivate attention and activate solutions.”

The long-running sentiment expressed by FASHP CEOs is consistent with two landmark reports, In the Nation’s Compelling Interest: Ensuring Diversity in the Health-Care Workforce (2004) and Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions (2004), which state that more racially and ethnically diverse health care professionals are essential for meeting future health care needs; tied to improved patient satisfaction, increased access to quality health care and reduced health disparities; and critical for elevating the nation’s responsiveness to the health care needs of a society with rapidly changing demographics.

American Dental Association data reveal that 3,223 (48.4%) of the 6,665 2021 U.S. dental school graduates were men. Of these, only 431 (6.46%) were HUMOC (263 Hispanic/Latino men, 147 Black/African American men, 18 American Indian/Alaska Native men, and 3 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander men). Additionally, the two Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ dental schools, Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry and Howard University College of Dentistry, accounted for 36 (24.5%) of the Black/African American men graduates, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine accounted for 18 (6.8%) of the Hispanic/Latino men.

Similar disparities exist across the academic health professions. For example, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) 2021-2022 data show that of the 21,051 U.S. medical school graduates, 10,268 (48.8%) were men. Of these, only 1,251 were HUMOC (664 Hispanic/Latino men, 565 Black/African American men, 13 American Indian/Alaska Native men, and 9 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander men). To tackle disparities, the AAMC launched the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine in 2020, which includes partnerships that focus on systemic solutions to increase the representation and success of Black men interested in and entering medicine.

Additionally, the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a 2022 virtual roundtable on Black men and women in science, engineering and medicine to identify policies and build better pathways for Black undergraduates to pursue science, engineering and medicine. With a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), ADEA hosted a two-day summit in August 2022 with 83 representatives from across the health professions to start developing solutions to the paucity of HUMOC in the health professions. Dr. David Satcher, 16th Surgeon General of the United States and former President of Morehouse College and Meharry Medical College, was a featured guest and galvanized the group to act. He noted that although the Summit focused on men of color in the health professions, “any coalition must involve women as well. Holistically, we need to be working together.” Dr. Satcher further explained that encouragement for boys of color must start as early as elementary and high school, noting, “Right now, we need to invest in their excitement about learning, so students invest more in themselves. We must ask, ‘How can I make sure our students care about learning?’”

According to Dr. Andrew T. Maccabe, CEO of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges, the lack of men of color entering health professions schools is systemic. Dr. Maccabe stated, “A lack of awareness, marginalization, educational disparities, systemic racism and unconscious bias has led to these continuing inequalities and a lack of HUMOC matriculating and graduating in the academic health professions, which has now reached crisis proportions.” Expanding on the issue, he shared that the 2021 graduating class of veterinary medical students included only 0.6% Black/African American men, 1.4% Hispanic/Latino men, and 0.2% American Indian/Alaska Native men.

The low numbers of HUMOC health care providers affect not only communities of color, but the entire nation’s well-being. As noted in the FASHP consensus statement, this lack of diversity has significant consequences for public health, education, economic stability and the availability and quality of health care treatment for all U.S. communities. There is also a need to significantly increase the number of HUMOC graduating with Ph.D.s and doctorate degrees in public health. The Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) 2021-2022 data show that 230 of the 824 U.S. public health doctoral graduates were men. Of the total graduates, only 2.5% were Black/African American men, 2.1% Hispanic/Latino men, and 0.1% American Indian/Alaska Native men. Dr. Laura Magaña, ASPPH President and CEO, notes that “these statistics are unacceptable and solidify our resolve to implement impactful solutions around engaging our members towards a more inclusive and equitable public health workforce.” 

Dr. Dennis Mitchell, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for University Life at Columbia University, is a dentist and was instrumental in establishing what is currently known as the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP), jointly administered by ADEA and AAMC. Supported by a generous grant from the RWJF, SHPEP, formerly known as the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP), is a six-week summer enrichment program for marginalized and socioeconomically and educationally disadvantaged college students interested in the health professions. Columbia University is one of 12 program sites. A 2015 Mathematica study commissioned by RWJF showed that the likelihood of students in SMDEP with a dental component were 10.5 percentage points more likely to enroll in dental school, and students in the program with a medical track were 9 percentage points more likely to enroll in medical school students than students not participating in SMDEP pathway program. Echoing Dr. Satcher’s sentiments, Dr. Mitchell, who also serves on the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Board of Directors, added, “Pathway programs such as SHPEP make a difference, but to truly make a difference, we need more of these programs and more of these interventions throughout the P-16 student lifecycle for boys and men of color.”

The FASHP CEOs agree that more academic enrichment interventions are needed to increase the representation of all historically underrepresented and marginalized groups in the health professions. However, FASHP believes there is an urgent need to call attention to the significant deficiency of HUMOC entering and graduating from health professions schools in comparison to other marginalized student populations.

In pursuit of greater collective action, FASHP is establishing a coalition with associations across the academic health professions, health care institutions, and health professional organizations to tackle the longstanding problem of the low numbers of HUMOC at health professions schools. FASHP plans to expand its work to galvanize P-16 governmental, health care, corporate, foundation, health care research, community and other leaders to develop short and long-term strategies with focused action plans. FASHP leaders realize this is a complex problem and are energized to address the challenge.

They are further inspired to action by Dr. Satcher’s parting words at the Summit, “We need people who care enough to know enough and have the courage to do enough to persevere until the job is done!”

FASHP Member Organizations
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine
American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges
American Dental Education Association
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Chiropractic Colleges
Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions
Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Association of University Programs in Health Administration
Council on Social Work Education
PA Education Association

Liaison Members:
Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges
American Council of Academic Physical Therapy
American Occupational Therapy Association
American Physical Therapy Association
American Psychological Association

 

 

Go to news article page

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) awarded Dr. Herbert Wertheim ASCO’s inaugural Herbert Wertheim Award, affectionately called “The Herbie.” Dr. Wertheim received his award in October during a special recognition reception in San Diego during the American Academy of Optometry’s annual conference.

The Herbert Wertheim Award recognizes remarkable individuals or organizations that have accomplished high-impact, ground-breaking, and innovative programs or initiatives, and contributed substantially, or have the potential to sustainably address, eye and vision health and/or the social determinants of eye health and vision care, at the local, national, or global level.

“We are honored to not only recognize and praise Dr. Wertheim for his remarkable inventions and his unparalleled support of optometric education, including his remarkable donation to the University of California – Berkeley’s School of Optometry. He is such an icon and we are pleased to name this award after him,” says Dr. Melissa Trego, ASCO President. “Dr. Wertheim’s passion for optometry, it’s past, present, and future, will forever be evident as we continue his legacy through future ‘Herbie’ recipients.”

“I’m highly honored to be the recipient of this very special recognition award that is named after me for my contributions to optometry while emphasizing the need for enhanced education for the preservation of vision worldwide. This is a wonderful and needed calling that will enhance the lives of tens of thousands, if not millions, of patients who will need professional optometric vision and eye health evaluations and treatments throughout their lifetimes. This is a profession I am proud to be a part of and encourage any young person who is considering helping to make the world a better place to choose the optometric profession as a career choice,” says Dr. Wertheim a worldwide clinician, educator and researcher.

Go to news article page

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) announces the release of two new diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging resources available free of charge for use by all in the profession interested in learning more about offering culturally competent patient care.

These two new resources, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging — A Virtual Cultural Competency Workshop and the Cultural Competence In Eye and Vision Care: A Toolkit round out ASCO’s Eye on Diversity initiative, generously sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision.

The Virtual Cultural Competency Workshop is an on-demand training resource developed by Dr. Keshia S. Elder, OD, MS, MS, FAAO, the first African American female in the nation to lead a school of optometry (University of Missouri at St. Louis). Other contributors involved in the preparation of the workshop include Drs. Ruth Shoge, Director of DEIB and Associate Clinical Professor at the University   of California – Berkeley, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, and Dr. Gary Chu, Vice President for Professional Affairs at the New England College of Optometry.

This workshop is intended for anyone in the optometric community – students, residents, faculty, practitioners, practice staff, etc. – and covers topics such as DEIB concepts overview, social and cultural identifiers, bias and ways to identify bias. Optometric educators can use this virtual workshop in their classrooms, administrators can use it during faculty meetings, and Doctors of Optometry can use it for staff training.

The Toolkit is a valuable publication written by Drs. A. Philip Aitsebaomo, Melissa Contreras, Keshia S. Elder, Crystal Lewandowski, and Janette D. Pepper. Topics included are: health disparities and social determinants of health; cultural competence and humility; implicit and cognitive bias in health care; inclusive clinic practices; inclusive strategies in practice management; curriculum integration and teaching strategies; pegagogical framework; case examples and evaluation techniques. The Toolkit can be used in conjunction with the virtual workshop or as a stand-alone publication and is available in both a PDF and flipbook format.

These resources are available online through ASCO’s Learning Center, also sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision. Access to these resources can be found here:

Workshop: https://www.pathlms.com/asco/courses/49611

Toolkit: https://www.pathlms.com/asco/courses/46673

“Johnson & Johnson Vision is proud to be a leader in this important space, and of the great work that ASCO has done through the Eye on Diversity initiative,” says Dr. Charissa Lee, Johnson & Johnson Vision’s Head of North America Professional Affairs. “We are optimistic that these newest ASCO resources, along with the prior projects, will create real impact for our patients, the optometric community, and will serve as a solid foundation, as we all continue to grow our DEI efforts.”

“ASCO thanks Johnson & Johnson Vision for its leadership and commitment to our efforts to expand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in optometric education.,” says ASCO President, Dr. Melissa Trego. “J&J also generously sponsored our Eye on Diversity Speaker Series, the Voices of Diversity video series, and the Optometry Gives Me Life campaign. ASCO’s dedication to diversity within our member schools and colleges does not stop with these resources. We will continue to support and mentor all our students and faculty to become better Doctors of Optometry and people.”

Go to news article page

In collaboration with the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO®), the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) has posted on its website the pass rates for every U.S. optometric institution. The data for 2022 is found at: https://optometriceducation.org/news/national-board-of-examiners-in-optometry-yearly-performance-report/. Reports beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year are posted for comparison.

“NBEO is pleased to continue to work with ASCO as we provide this data,” says Dr. Jill Bryant, NBEO Executive Director. These results are from calculations using the scores of optometry candidates who have both graduated during the 2021-2022 timeframe and attempted all three parts of the exam at least once.”

“The pass rates from the 23 schools and colleges of optometry in the US is important information as we look back at a year which many in academia say was very challenging,” says Dr. Melissa Trego, ASCO President. “We remain committed to offering a vigorous curriculum to our optometry students to best prepare them to enter this very challenging field.”

 

Go to news article page

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) is pleased to announce its release of a new virtual cultural competency training workshop and toolkit.
 
The workshop and toolkit are part of its Eye on Diversity Initiative, which is generously sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision.
 
The Virtual Cultural Competency Workshop is a great resource for training for use by anyone in optometry – students, residents, faculty, practitioners, practice staff, etc.
 
The toolkit, entitled, “Cultural Competence in Eye and Vision Care” is a valuable resource that can be used in conjunction with the virtual workshop or as a stand-alone publication.
 
These resources are available online through ASCO’s Learning Center.
 
Check out these resources here:
 
ASCO thanks Johnson & Johnson Vision for its leadership and commitment to its efforts to expand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in optometric education.

Go to news article page

The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) launches its Voices of Diversity project, an important addition to the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging Eye on Diversity initiative, generously sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision.

The Voices of Diversity videos feature first-person accounts from Doctors of Optometry, optometric educators, and optometry students who bravely share their stories about the impact race and prejudice has had on them both personally and professionally. Filmed during the July 2022 Annual Conference of the National Optometric Association, the videos describe instances of microaggressions, sexism, misogyny, bigotry, and prejudice. They also include examples of supportive mentorship, collaboration, helpful guidance, and allyship.

“The Voices of Diversity project is an important component to ASCO’s Eye on Diversity initiative,” says Dr. Charissa Lee, Johnson & Johnson Vision’s Head of North America Professional Affairs. “We are pleased to be a part of this and to offer these testimonials to the broader community. My hope is that these videos will help all of us become more empathetic healthcare providers as well as more compassionate people in our everyday lives.”

“This important project could not have been possible without the incredible support of Johnson & Johnson Vision. These personal accounts of what some of our colleagues have experienced are painful to accept but we must validate these experiences and resolve to do better going forward,” says ASCO President, Dr. Melissa Trego. “I sincerely hope everyone in the optometric profession, as well as other health care providers, take the time to view everyone’s story. They are real, valid and important.”

The Voices of Diversity project, in its entirety is about 1 hour and 30 minutes and can be seen on ASCO’s YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/gtNRuMvAZ-E

Individual montages of compiled video testimonials can be seen on ASCO’s Learning Management System at https://www.pathlms.com/asco/courses/49784# and are split into categories:

  • First Some History Makers
  • Why is DEI Important?
  • What Does Inclusion Look Like?
  • Everyone Has A Story
  • Words to Live By

Go to news article page