Strategies for urologists to become more inclusive leaders

In this video, Denise Asafu-Adjei, MD, MPH, discusses the meaning behind her acronym “INCLUDE.” Asafu-Adjei presented a talk at the 2024 Sexual Medicine Society of North America Fall Scientific Meeting titled, “Challenges of Inclusive Leadership in Sexual Medicine.” She is an assistant professor of urology at Loyola University Chicago-Stritch School of Medicine and also the medical director of Male Reproductive Medicine.

Transcription:

What specific strategies can urologists implement to address biases and stereotypes within their leadership roles, both in terms of their own attitudes and in fostering a more inclusive environment for their colleagues and patients?

I actually created an acronym to summarize some of the strategies we can think about for creating a more inclusive environment. It's called INCLUDE. For "I," we want to think about really incorporating inclusive principles when we think about clinical practice and our policies. "N" is non-stop learning. One tenet of inclusive leadership is being curious. We constantly have to learn about our colleagues, our patients, our environment, so that we can truly be leaders that are creating environments where everyone does feel included. C is culturally competent care. It's important that we do think about the impact of all the different cultures that come together when we're treating sexual medicine. I think it's important for us to be mindful of that and at least strive to create environments where all cultures truly do feel comfortable. "L" would be leadership opportunities. As a leader, I think it is important for us to think about if someone's going to feel included on a team, they have to be put in positions where they feel like they're contributing and are really having a vested interest in what's going on. And so I think that's important. I think understanding the patient-provider interactions are also key. Sexual medicine is not an easy topic to talk about, I think it's something that does create these power dynamics. And so we have to be mindful of that when we're really thinking about creating these inclusive these inclusive environments. And then I think diversity when we think about clinical trials and research, sexual medicine is still very male centric when it comes to our treatments and research. And so I think it's important that we constantly think about diversifying our research so that we truly are meeting the needs of all the populations that are served in sexual medicine. And then finally, "E" for education. Sexual health education is very lacking amongst our patients and society. And I think if you are going to be an inclusive leader or implement this in your practice, it's important that you think about those gaps in education and hopefully try to fill those.

This transcript was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.