SUSTAINABILITY
o be truly effective , healthcare systems need to mirror the societies that they serve , in terms not only of gender but also ethnicity .
Many healthcare companies have diversity , equity and inclusion ( DEI ) positions , or even departments , but these alone are no guarantee of impactful change .
In countless cities and towns across the world , multiculturalism is the norm rather than the exception , and given that certain diseases have a higher prevalence in minority populations – and that many diseases affect only women – it ’ s important healthcare providers take meaningful action to address gender and ethnicity inequities in health provision .
Enrique Caballero is Director of Diabetes Education in the Postgraduate Medical Education Department at Harvard Medical School ( HMS ). Previously , he was Faculty Director of Diabetes Education in HMS Postgraduate Medical Education , and – as a noted endocrinologist – founded the Latino Diabetes Initiative , which is affiliated with HMS .
Dr Caballero is a long-time advocate for improved care for minority populations , and stresses the importance of transcultural diabetes care .
In an interview on the HMS website , he says although “ everybody ’ s interested in DEI ” there is a lack of meaningful progress in this area because “ businesses and organisations throughout the sector need to buy in and participate in reform ”.
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