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A Happy New Year to all our members, and, with the roll out of the COVID vaccines, a chance to restart personal and professional lives, albeit in a transformed manner. We have just finalized plans for the ANA2021 meeting, which will again be virtual, but has an impressive line-up of speakers and science. As we did with our first virtual meeting we will intentionally organize interactive programs to create a chance for networking, professional development, and mentoring. My deepest thanks go out to the Scientific Program Committee ably led by Chris Weihl, and to the Professional Development Committee led by Allison Willis. By the time you read this we will have completed several Town Halls focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion, with the goal of seeking your opinion about the action steps that we plan to take this year, and beyond, under the guidance of the IDEAS (Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Anti-racism/Social Justice ~ from University of Rochester) taskforce, led by Allison Willis and Lesli Skolarus. I am so proud of the work that has already been done within the ANA to better understand some of the drivers that inhibit inclusion and limit diversity and equity for all in academic neurology. We will be publicizing the action steps that you have guided us to select in the next few weeks, and we seek volunteers to serve on the IDEAS taskforce. Our first few meetings have identified the importance of ‘allyship’ for creating a positive culture in our academic environments. Most participants agree that academic neurology departments should embrace this concept. There are a number of practical steps that academic leaders can take to strengthen allyship1: - see something, say something - bring diversity to the table - build a community of allies - insist on diversity of candidates - push for organizational change - sponsor marginalized faculty and staff - seek and accept feedback As I listened to Amanda Gorman deliver her riveting and powerful poem during the Biden-Harris inauguration, one section struck me as summarizing what we are striving to do with our IDEAS task force. Join us! Warm regards, Justin C. McArthur, MBBS, MPH |