May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month—a perfect time to highlight ACHE’s Asian Healthcare Leaders Community Committee. As the committee’s 2023 incoming Chair, I’m proud and honored to be working alongside other AAPI leaders championing leadership diversity in healthcare.
As AAPI leaders in today’s healthcare environment, we understand disparities are more visible than ever and it’s critical to have diverse leadership teams bringing a range of perspectives, experiences and skills to the table. Leadership diversity in healthcare is not only important for creating a more inclusive workplace, it is essential for providing better care to patients and communities.
In recent years, there has been an alarming increase in anti-Asian hate crimes and acts of bias and discrimination across the country, even in large, culturally diverse cities like New York. At Mount Sinai Health System, we recognized the urgent need to take action and support our AAPI workforce and community.
Our initial efforts focused on raising awareness and promoting safety through tabling events and town halls. We were overwhelmed by the positive response and outpouring of support, which led to the establishment of the Center for Asian Equity and Professional Development (CAEPD).
The newly launched CAEPD is dedicated to creating welcoming and supportive environments for all and addressing the barriers that hinder the inclusion and advancement of AAPI leaders. By increasing the presence of AAPI leaders in healthcare, we can help break down historical anti-Asian bias and discrimination and change attitudes to combat racism, crimes and violence against Asian Americans.
We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential values that are fundamental to a just and equitable society. As healthcare leaders, we have a responsibility to promote these values and create an environment that celebrates differences and promotes equity.
The establishment of the CAEPD is just a part of our journey toward creating a more inclusive healthcare system. We are committed to continuing our efforts to foster a culture of acceptance, support and belonging for all members of our community. Together, we can create a better, more equitable world for everyone.
To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month this year, CAEPD and Mount Sinai have planned several events to engage and celebrate our AAPI workforce and peers. One of the highlights of this year's celebration is a video that showcases our AAPI workforce across the system.
We are also excited to host a town hall that provides an opportunity for our AAPI workforce to engage with one another and discuss important issues related to equity, diversity and inclusion. Additionally, we are launching a new project that involves creating a video library of conversations among our workforce, sharing their thoughts, experiences and support.
To ensure that our entire system is aware of these events and initiatives, we will be broadcasting information about them systemwide via our three primary streams: email, the Anti-Racism Roadmap Bulletin and our digital news app. This will allow us to reach a wider audience and ensure that everyone is aware of the importance of celebrating and supporting the AAPI community.
At Mount Sinai, we are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion and creating a welcoming and supportive environment for all members of our community. By celebrating AAPI Heritage Month and highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of our AAPI workforce, we are taking an important step toward achieving this goal.
I also want to highlight local AAPI recognition efforts from a couple of members of the Asian Healthcare Leaders Community Committee. Angela A. Michael, FACHE, director, Performance Improvement, Methodist Health System, Dallas, has events planned at her local chapter, ACHE of North Texas, including a storytelling event, posting social media spotlights on three Asian healthcare leaders and featuring an Asian healthcare leader’s blog post about “being visible together.”
At John Muir Health in Walnut Creek, Calif., Anh Thang Dao-Shah, PhD, executive director, Equity and Belonging, shares that the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month is led by the AAPI caucus, an employee resource group that aims to provide AAPI employees with a safe space to share about their experience and propose changes that help make the organization a more inclusive place for all patients, community members, providers and employees. Events include a lunch-and-learn about celebrating Asian Americans in cinema, as well as Asian-themed menus in the café.
Michael DeGuzman, FACHE, is a director at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, and a doctoral student in leadership, advocacy and equity at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans.