
A Sense of Purpose and Belonging
A sense of purpose and belonging to a diverse and inclusive society is crucial for professional growth and personal well-being. The ORS community includes clinicians, basic scientists, and industry/private sector members of all races, career levels, ethnicities, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, religions, and other forms of human diversity. These diverse identities increase the pool of ideas, perspectives, and know-how to collectively advance orthopaedic research.
Making ORS Welcoming to Everyone
While the ORS has made tremendous progress in training an outstanding and diverse orthopaedic research community, groups who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM are also underrepresented at higher levels in our field. Our biases, whether or not we are aware of them, affect how we perceive and treat others, and in turn can have life- and career-altering effects on people. Bias includes not only overt racism and discrimination, but also subconscious intrinsic associations we make about people based on our perception of them. Microaggressions are small acts of discrimination that can create a culture of distrust and perpetuate inequity within social groups. People are also often unaware of how microaggressions affect others or may be unaware that their actions constitute microaggressions. Learning to spot and address these within ourselves and our community can help to make ORS more welcoming to everyone.
Developing a Culture of Inclusion and Respect
Creating diverse and inclusive spaces is therefore important to mitigate negative feedback loops that hinder personal and professional growth. Having cultural sensitivity and accessibility accommodations creates a more welcoming environment. This allows folks of diverse backgrounds to feel like they belong and hopefully would decrease downstream effects of insensitivity/insensibility such as instances of imposter syndrome. Those who are historically underrepresented are more likely to experience imposter syndrome, the feeling of being a ‘fraud’ despite considerable qualifications and accomplishments. However, when considering the institutional biases, microaggressions, and power dynamics in professional settings – these reactions are not completely unfounded.
Seemingly small actions by those with more power can have big effects on defining the norms of acceptable behavior within groups. Bystander intervention allows us to stand up against harassment, discrimination, and bias directed at others. Improving the accessibility of information and events allows us to communicate and collaborate more effectively. Collectively, these actions will improve participation within the ORS community by helping us develop a culture of inclusion and respect for all.
The ORS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee has assembled the following valuable recourses. Explore the content under each toggle to learn more.
• The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in orthopedic research
• Breaking barriers: a brief overview of diversity in orthopedic surgery
• Fund black scientists
• Considering the impact of racial stigmas and science identity
• Systemic inequalities for LGBTQ professionals in STEM
• How LGBT+ scientists would like to be included and welcomed in STEM workplaces
• The invisible minority in STEM: being a transgender scientist and trainee
• Awareness of socioeconomic diversity
• Glossary for sex and gender
• A guide to being an ally to transgender and nonbinary youth
• Reviewing applicants: research on bias and assumptions
• Women in orthopaedics and implicit bias
• Implicit bias: recognizing the unconscious barriers to quality care and diversity in medicine
• The 5 biases pushing women out of STEM
• Advancing science: how bias holds us back
• Implicit bias in STEM
• Avoid implicit bias in letters of recommendation
• How implicit bias and lack of diversity undermine science
• Creating equitable STEM workplaces by addressing unconscious bias
• Strategies to address bias and build more diverse, inclusive organization
• What is a microaggression?
• Hierarchical microaggressions in higher education settings
• Racial microaggressions: definition, examples and practical actions
• What to know about microaggressions
• How to handle microaggressions in the workplace
• Responding and navigating racialized microaggressions in STEM
• Language matters: considering microaggressions in science
• Do women experience microaggressions in orthopaedic surgery?*
• Recognizing and reacting to microaggressions in medicine and surgery* (commentary)
* = requires journal subscription
• Cultural competence and workplace culture
• Playing “cultural competence” catch up in higher ed
• What is culturally competent compassion?
• Exploring cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence
• Cultural awareness – glossary of terms
• Integrating cultural diversity in higher education
• Achieving equality in intercultural workplaces
• Resources for improving accessibility
• Accessibility accommodations for different technologies
• How to make your presentations accessible to all
• How to create accessible Powerpoints
• A guide to accessible video
• Accessible meeting and event checklist
• Colorblindness simulator web tool (downloadable program)
• Neurodiversity in the workplace
- What is imposter syndrome?
- Feeling like a fraud: imposter syndrome in STEM
- The imposter phenomena in high achieving women
- Imposter syndrome: treat the cause, not the symptom*
- Imposter syndrome threatens diversity*
- How to see yourself as a competent, capable STEM person
* = requires journal subscription
• Bullying in academia: what’s an ombudsman to do?
• Strategies for disrupting academic bullying (Powerpoint slides and case studies)
• Turning the microscope on power dynamics in the lab
• Manifestations of power abuse in academia and how to prevent them
• Bullying in the academic workplace
• The academic parity movement
• Harassment, discrimination, and bullying in orthopaedics*
* = requires journal subscription
• Responding as a bystander: distract, delegate, document, delay, and direct (free online training)
• When you see microaggressions occurring against colleagues, how should you respond?
• Interrupting microaggressions with third party intervention examples
• #MeToo: the role and power of bystanders
• Bystander training within organizations
• How to be an active bystander for academic ableism