Description
In this engaging presentation, Deborah Eastwood discusses the progress and continuing challenges in achieving diversity and inclusion within the British Orthopedic Association. She highlights her own experience as one of the few female orthopedic surgeons appointed in the mid-1990s, reflecting on how the landscape has shifted since then with growing female representation in surgery, particularly in pediatric orthopedics. Despite progress, Eastwood notes that women remain underrepresented, holding only 12.9% of consultant positions in orthopedics as of 2019.
Eastwood details the BOA's strategic initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, including targeting underepresented groups in leadership, increasing female participation in speaking roles at conferences, and fostering an inclusive environment for new medical students and trainees. She emphasizes that while female participation is growing at the consultant level, with 30% being early-career consultants, improvements in ethnic diversity remain slower. Her call to action encourages accountability and engagement from members to ensure that the association truly reflects its diverse membership and the patients they serve, echoing the commitment to advocate for both surgical colleagues and disadvantaged patients alike.