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AGA promotes workforce diversity in academic gastroenterology: The FORWARD program
“The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has worked diligently and effectively to expand the pool of underrepresented in medicine physicians who provide care for patients with digestive diseases,” remarks Byron Cryer, MD, FORWARD principal investigator and associate dean for the office of faculty diversity & development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
This long history of promoting and encouraging diversity in the field is notable; however, the society recognizes that there is still more to be done to prepare and sponsor underrepresented in medicine physician-scientists to assume leadership positions in the field.
“As of 2017, only 3.2% of gastroenterology fellows were African American and 8.5% were Hispanic,” remarked Sandra Quezada, MD, AGA Chair, Diversity Committee. These statistics closely correspond to AGA’s membership demographics, where only 3.36% of AGA members are African American and 5.53% are Hispanic, among those reporting ethnicity.
Under the leadership of principal investigators Byron Cryer, MD, and Sheila Crowe, MD, and coinvestigators Juanita Merchant, MD, and Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, AGA developed the FORWARD (Fostering Opportunities Resulting in Workforce and Research Diversity) program.
This program was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases through an education project (R25) grant.
The overall objective of the grant is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical science research workforce in gastroenterology and to prepare individuals to assume leadership positions within the AGA and in academic medicine.
The FORWARD program has three aims:
1. Provide skill development in leadership – including general leadership development, executive coaching, and opportunities for leadership experience within the society.
2. Implement a diversity management plan focused on active mentoring approaches, using both one-on-one and networking approaches, to provide opportunities for broad support and sponsorship.
3. Provide training for skill development in research careers including training in research development, management of research groups, scientific manuscript, and grant writing.
The program targets fellows and early-career faculty and was promoted broadly to society membership and to past participants in AGA diversity programs. Through a rigorous selection process, 10 physician-scientists were selected among a qualified pool of applicants. Participants were matched with experienced academic gastroenterologists who committed to serve as their professional mentors throughout the course of their participation in the FORWARD program.
Leadership development
The first FORWARD cohort kicked off in March 2019 and will conclude May 2020. They convened at AGA’s inaugural 2½ day Leadership Development Conference. During the conference, the 10 FORWARD scholars joined with 18 AGA Future Leader program participants and 40 Women’s Leadership Conference attendees to participate in leadership development training that addressed such topics as building resilience, presentation skills, negotiation, career success in an ever-changing scientific environment, emotional intelligence, and other key topics designed to bolster their skills as emerging leaders in gastroenterology. With seven past and current AGA presidents in attendance, the FORWARD participants had the unique opportunity to learn about the career paths and gain advice from key leaders in the field while also networking with fellow emerging leaders in both the Future Leaders program and Women’s Leadership Conference.
To further prepare the FORWARD scholars to assume future leadership positions within the society, they’ve begun “internships” that included shadowing AGA committee meetings during Digestive Disease Week (DDW®) 2019 in San Diego and participating in networking events with AGA leaders at receptions and various events.
Mentoring and coaching
In addition to leadership development training at the conference, each FORWARD scholar identified a research topic that they would work on with their mentor and a grant-writing expert to develop into a full grant proposal by the conclusion of the program. The FORWARD mentors have committed to provide mentoring that addresses scientific research content as well as career guidance. The active mentoring provided to the FORWARD scholars is extensive and includes regular contact with their mentors as well as one-on-one executive coaching by a professional coach committed to learning about their needs and guiding them through an individual development plan.
To facilitate the coaching for their individual development plan, each FORWARD scholar completed a Self-Assessment for Physician Leaders and a 360° assessment, which informed the executive coaching that the scholars receive. For many of the scholars, this is the first time that they have benefited from individual executive coaching.
Academic research skills development
In addition to leadership development training and networking opportunities along with executive coaching and mentoring, the FORWARD scholars benefit from direct evaluation and consultation on grant writing. FORWARD scholars have access to a private learning management system where they participate in online grant-writing skills training designed by a grant-writing expert. Based on their training, they are developing various segments of an actual grant proposal and are receiving both virtual peer critiques as well as individualized critiques and guidance from the grant-writing consultant, their program mentor, and their home institution mentor. Future training modules will include lab management and manuscript writing.
Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, FORWARD coinvestigator, stated, “I have had the honor of monitoring the progress of our first class of scholars recently. I am incredibly proud of the caliber of these early-career professionals and have no doubt that they will emerge as leaders in our field, where more diversity is greatly needed.”
The scholars and their mentors will reconvene at DDW® 2020 for an opportunity to give a presentation and participate in a commencement ceremony concluding their involvement in the program. Following the graduation of this first cohort, there will be a period of evaluation prior to recruitment of the second cohort of FORWARD scholars.
The 2018-2020 FORWARD Cohort includes:
Yelina Alvarez, MD, PhD
|
Dominique Bailey, MD
|
|
Oriana M. Damas, MD
|
Patricia D. Jones, MD, MSCR
|
Folasade (Fola) May, MD, PhD, MPhil
|
Antonio Mendoza Ladd, MD, FACG, FASGE
|
Akinbowale Oyalowo, MD
|
|
Eric J. Vargas, MD |
The 2018-2020 – FORWARD Program Mentors
Maria Abreu, MD, AGAF
|
C. Rick Boland, MD, AGAF
|
John Carethers, MD, AGAF
|
Darwin Conwell, MD, MS
|
|
John Inadomi, MD, AGAF
|
|
|
|
Gary Wu, MD
|
Dr. Cryer is associate dean for faculty diversity and development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Dr. Rivera-Nieves, is professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego; and Ms. NuQuay, is senior director, member relations and constituency programs, American Gastroenterological Association, Bethesda, Md.
“The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has worked diligently and effectively to expand the pool of underrepresented in medicine physicians who provide care for patients with digestive diseases,” remarks Byron Cryer, MD, FORWARD principal investigator and associate dean for the office of faculty diversity & development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
This long history of promoting and encouraging diversity in the field is notable; however, the society recognizes that there is still more to be done to prepare and sponsor underrepresented in medicine physician-scientists to assume leadership positions in the field.
“As of 2017, only 3.2% of gastroenterology fellows were African American and 8.5% were Hispanic,” remarked Sandra Quezada, MD, AGA Chair, Diversity Committee. These statistics closely correspond to AGA’s membership demographics, where only 3.36% of AGA members are African American and 5.53% are Hispanic, among those reporting ethnicity.
Under the leadership of principal investigators Byron Cryer, MD, and Sheila Crowe, MD, and coinvestigators Juanita Merchant, MD, and Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, AGA developed the FORWARD (Fostering Opportunities Resulting in Workforce and Research Diversity) program.
This program was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases through an education project (R25) grant.
The overall objective of the grant is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical science research workforce in gastroenterology and to prepare individuals to assume leadership positions within the AGA and in academic medicine.
The FORWARD program has three aims:
1. Provide skill development in leadership – including general leadership development, executive coaching, and opportunities for leadership experience within the society.
2. Implement a diversity management plan focused on active mentoring approaches, using both one-on-one and networking approaches, to provide opportunities for broad support and sponsorship.
3. Provide training for skill development in research careers including training in research development, management of research groups, scientific manuscript, and grant writing.
The program targets fellows and early-career faculty and was promoted broadly to society membership and to past participants in AGA diversity programs. Through a rigorous selection process, 10 physician-scientists were selected among a qualified pool of applicants. Participants were matched with experienced academic gastroenterologists who committed to serve as their professional mentors throughout the course of their participation in the FORWARD program.
Leadership development
The first FORWARD cohort kicked off in March 2019 and will conclude May 2020. They convened at AGA’s inaugural 2½ day Leadership Development Conference. During the conference, the 10 FORWARD scholars joined with 18 AGA Future Leader program participants and 40 Women’s Leadership Conference attendees to participate in leadership development training that addressed such topics as building resilience, presentation skills, negotiation, career success in an ever-changing scientific environment, emotional intelligence, and other key topics designed to bolster their skills as emerging leaders in gastroenterology. With seven past and current AGA presidents in attendance, the FORWARD participants had the unique opportunity to learn about the career paths and gain advice from key leaders in the field while also networking with fellow emerging leaders in both the Future Leaders program and Women’s Leadership Conference.
To further prepare the FORWARD scholars to assume future leadership positions within the society, they’ve begun “internships” that included shadowing AGA committee meetings during Digestive Disease Week (DDW®) 2019 in San Diego and participating in networking events with AGA leaders at receptions and various events.
Mentoring and coaching
In addition to leadership development training at the conference, each FORWARD scholar identified a research topic that they would work on with their mentor and a grant-writing expert to develop into a full grant proposal by the conclusion of the program. The FORWARD mentors have committed to provide mentoring that addresses scientific research content as well as career guidance. The active mentoring provided to the FORWARD scholars is extensive and includes regular contact with their mentors as well as one-on-one executive coaching by a professional coach committed to learning about their needs and guiding them through an individual development plan.
To facilitate the coaching for their individual development plan, each FORWARD scholar completed a Self-Assessment for Physician Leaders and a 360° assessment, which informed the executive coaching that the scholars receive. For many of the scholars, this is the first time that they have benefited from individual executive coaching.
Academic research skills development
In addition to leadership development training and networking opportunities along with executive coaching and mentoring, the FORWARD scholars benefit from direct evaluation and consultation on grant writing. FORWARD scholars have access to a private learning management system where they participate in online grant-writing skills training designed by a grant-writing expert. Based on their training, they are developing various segments of an actual grant proposal and are receiving both virtual peer critiques as well as individualized critiques and guidance from the grant-writing consultant, their program mentor, and their home institution mentor. Future training modules will include lab management and manuscript writing.
Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, FORWARD coinvestigator, stated, “I have had the honor of monitoring the progress of our first class of scholars recently. I am incredibly proud of the caliber of these early-career professionals and have no doubt that they will emerge as leaders in our field, where more diversity is greatly needed.”
The scholars and their mentors will reconvene at DDW® 2020 for an opportunity to give a presentation and participate in a commencement ceremony concluding their involvement in the program. Following the graduation of this first cohort, there will be a period of evaluation prior to recruitment of the second cohort of FORWARD scholars.
The 2018-2020 FORWARD Cohort includes:
Yelina Alvarez, MD, PhD
|
Dominique Bailey, MD
|
|
Oriana M. Damas, MD
|
Patricia D. Jones, MD, MSCR
|
Folasade (Fola) May, MD, PhD, MPhil
|
Antonio Mendoza Ladd, MD, FACG, FASGE
|
Akinbowale Oyalowo, MD
|
|
Eric J. Vargas, MD |
The 2018-2020 – FORWARD Program Mentors
Maria Abreu, MD, AGAF
|
C. Rick Boland, MD, AGAF
|
John Carethers, MD, AGAF
|
Darwin Conwell, MD, MS
|
|
John Inadomi, MD, AGAF
|
|
|
|
Gary Wu, MD
|
Dr. Cryer is associate dean for faculty diversity and development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Dr. Rivera-Nieves, is professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego; and Ms. NuQuay, is senior director, member relations and constituency programs, American Gastroenterological Association, Bethesda, Md.
“The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) has worked diligently and effectively to expand the pool of underrepresented in medicine physicians who provide care for patients with digestive diseases,” remarks Byron Cryer, MD, FORWARD principal investigator and associate dean for the office of faculty diversity & development, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas.
This long history of promoting and encouraging diversity in the field is notable; however, the society recognizes that there is still more to be done to prepare and sponsor underrepresented in medicine physician-scientists to assume leadership positions in the field.
“As of 2017, only 3.2% of gastroenterology fellows were African American and 8.5% were Hispanic,” remarked Sandra Quezada, MD, AGA Chair, Diversity Committee. These statistics closely correspond to AGA’s membership demographics, where only 3.36% of AGA members are African American and 5.53% are Hispanic, among those reporting ethnicity.
Under the leadership of principal investigators Byron Cryer, MD, and Sheila Crowe, MD, and coinvestigators Juanita Merchant, MD, and Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, AGA developed the FORWARD (Fostering Opportunities Resulting in Workforce and Research Diversity) program.
This program was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases through an education project (R25) grant.
The overall objective of the grant is to enhance the diversity of the biomedical science research workforce in gastroenterology and to prepare individuals to assume leadership positions within the AGA and in academic medicine.
The FORWARD program has three aims:
1. Provide skill development in leadership – including general leadership development, executive coaching, and opportunities for leadership experience within the society.
2. Implement a diversity management plan focused on active mentoring approaches, using both one-on-one and networking approaches, to provide opportunities for broad support and sponsorship.
3. Provide training for skill development in research careers including training in research development, management of research groups, scientific manuscript, and grant writing.
The program targets fellows and early-career faculty and was promoted broadly to society membership and to past participants in AGA diversity programs. Through a rigorous selection process, 10 physician-scientists were selected among a qualified pool of applicants. Participants were matched with experienced academic gastroenterologists who committed to serve as their professional mentors throughout the course of their participation in the FORWARD program.
Leadership development
The first FORWARD cohort kicked off in March 2019 and will conclude May 2020. They convened at AGA’s inaugural 2½ day Leadership Development Conference. During the conference, the 10 FORWARD scholars joined with 18 AGA Future Leader program participants and 40 Women’s Leadership Conference attendees to participate in leadership development training that addressed such topics as building resilience, presentation skills, negotiation, career success in an ever-changing scientific environment, emotional intelligence, and other key topics designed to bolster their skills as emerging leaders in gastroenterology. With seven past and current AGA presidents in attendance, the FORWARD participants had the unique opportunity to learn about the career paths and gain advice from key leaders in the field while also networking with fellow emerging leaders in both the Future Leaders program and Women’s Leadership Conference.
To further prepare the FORWARD scholars to assume future leadership positions within the society, they’ve begun “internships” that included shadowing AGA committee meetings during Digestive Disease Week (DDW®) 2019 in San Diego and participating in networking events with AGA leaders at receptions and various events.
Mentoring and coaching
In addition to leadership development training at the conference, each FORWARD scholar identified a research topic that they would work on with their mentor and a grant-writing expert to develop into a full grant proposal by the conclusion of the program. The FORWARD mentors have committed to provide mentoring that addresses scientific research content as well as career guidance. The active mentoring provided to the FORWARD scholars is extensive and includes regular contact with their mentors as well as one-on-one executive coaching by a professional coach committed to learning about their needs and guiding them through an individual development plan.
To facilitate the coaching for their individual development plan, each FORWARD scholar completed a Self-Assessment for Physician Leaders and a 360° assessment, which informed the executive coaching that the scholars receive. For many of the scholars, this is the first time that they have benefited from individual executive coaching.
Academic research skills development
In addition to leadership development training and networking opportunities along with executive coaching and mentoring, the FORWARD scholars benefit from direct evaluation and consultation on grant writing. FORWARD scholars have access to a private learning management system where they participate in online grant-writing skills training designed by a grant-writing expert. Based on their training, they are developing various segments of an actual grant proposal and are receiving both virtual peer critiques as well as individualized critiques and guidance from the grant-writing consultant, their program mentor, and their home institution mentor. Future training modules will include lab management and manuscript writing.
Jesus Rivera-Nieves, MD, FORWARD coinvestigator, stated, “I have had the honor of monitoring the progress of our first class of scholars recently. I am incredibly proud of the caliber of these early-career professionals and have no doubt that they will emerge as leaders in our field, where more diversity is greatly needed.”
The scholars and their mentors will reconvene at DDW® 2020 for an opportunity to give a presentation and participate in a commencement ceremony concluding their involvement in the program. Following the graduation of this first cohort, there will be a period of evaluation prior to recruitment of the second cohort of FORWARD scholars.
The 2018-2020 FORWARD Cohort includes:
Yelina Alvarez, MD, PhD
|
Dominique Bailey, MD
|
|
Oriana M. Damas, MD
|
Patricia D. Jones, MD, MSCR
|
Folasade (Fola) May, MD, PhD, MPhil
|
Antonio Mendoza Ladd, MD, FACG, FASGE
|
Akinbowale Oyalowo, MD
|
|
Eric J. Vargas, MD |
The 2018-2020 – FORWARD Program Mentors
Maria Abreu, MD, AGAF
|
C. Rick Boland, MD, AGAF
|
John Carethers, MD, AGAF
|
Darwin Conwell, MD, MS
|
|
John Inadomi, MD, AGAF
|
|
|
|
Gary Wu, MD
|
Dr. Cryer is associate dean for faculty diversity and development, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Dr. Rivera-Nieves, is professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego; and Ms. NuQuay, is senior director, member relations and constituency programs, American Gastroenterological Association, Bethesda, Md.