Compassion, Respect, Equality and Justice for All

The year 2020 began with unique challenges from a global pandemic and wide-spread economic strain. Our healthcare workforce has responded magnificently well despite these trials. Now, part-way through the year, we also face the opportunity of responding to, and learning from, events framed by ongoing social inequities in the United States of America.

In addition to the recent civil unrest emanating from the tragic death of George Floyd, we must better comprehend and address the statistic that African Americans, who constitute 13 percent of our population, have suffered more than half of COVID-19 cases and nearly 60 percent of its deaths nationwide; and Latinos, who constitute 18 percent of the population, account for nearly 30 percent of new COVID-19 cases.

Clearly, we require deeper levels of appreciation and subsequent action before we can truly understand all of the social determinants for health care in America.

As physicians, we are bound by a timeless oath emanating from the 5th century BCE – the Hippocratic Oath* – to serve the health and well-being of all patients; and to maintain the utmost respect for human life. Further, we pledge to not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between our duty and our patients. This oath embraces and strengthens our sacred profession, and physician leaders must strive to continually emulate all of its facets.

And while the American Association for Physician Leadership is proud of its constellation of efforts with diversity and inclusion in recent years, as physician leaders we must still do more in this regard for our world. Physician leadership increasingly drives improvements in healthcare, uniquely enhanced by the caring and compassion at the core of our profession. Our profession acknowledges and embraces diversity, inclusion, and justice for all human beings; and has done so through the ages.

AAPL remains committed to helping our global society and our AAPL constituency with the collective effort of continually advancing equality and justice for all human beings. We shall continue AAPL’s commitment to honor this effort as our society draws further lessons from these events of 2020.

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