Embracing Every Voice: Creating a Culture of Inclusivity in Interprofessional Settings
Kathryn Fraser, PhD; Halifax Health FMR
Jeffrey Ring, PhD

“Why be a star when you can make a constellation?” (Mariam Kaba) This simple phrase alludes to the power of inclusivity, which can allow your organization to shine brighter and be better. We are often challenged in health care to bring people together across disciplines because there is so much we may not understand about each other’s work. Add to that our fundamental differences that vary by racial ethnic background and other areas of difference, and we stand to lose a lot through staying surface-level in our interactions and hiding behind our differences. Medicine is an industry steeped in hierarchy and inequity, and thus requires intentional approaches to building equitable practices. Fostering inclusivity can push workers to get through biases and blind spots, and develop equitable ways of working that maximize everyone’s skills and talents.

This presentation will illustrate ways to help team members actively listen to diverse perspectives, share their own experiences, and engage in collaborative discussions and practices in their workplace. Organizations should be intentional when teaching interprofessional teams to work to their highest potential, as there is evidence that inclusivity promotes success and helps organizations thrive. The presenters will share personal experiences that shaped their unique approaches to promoting inclusion and equitable practices. Participants will gain skills to examine their own biases and build respectful, equitable practices with their co-workers. They will go through an exercise to help create authentic ways of interacting with interdisciplinary, diverse teams to achieve common goals.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Identify ways that interdisciplinary work groups can enhance productivity, innovation and effective patient care
2. Describe common challenges that interdisciplinary teams face through a lens of equity and inclusion
3. Effectively harness self-reflection to create enhanced communication and collaborations that will benefit their organizations

Kathryn Fraser is a licensed psychologist and behavioral medicine coordinator in the Halifax Health Family Medicine Residency Program in Daytona Beach, Florida. Her primary teaching and clinical interests include cultural issues in health care, health care provider wellness, biopsychosocial approaches to health care, and mentorship in academic family medicine. She played a major role in developing the health equity and anti-racism curriculum for her residency program, and also provides this training regionally and nationally to other health care audiences. She leads the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine's (STFM) Underrepresented in Medicine Mentoring Program, which provides guidance for early career family medicine faculty.  She is a former director of STFM’s Behavioral Science/Family Systems Educator Fellowship for early career behavioral health faculty in family medicine. In 2022, she received both STFM’s inaugural Diversity Award and STFM’s Susan McDaniel Distinguished Career Award for behavioral science teaching in family medicine. She was recently appointed to the STFM Board of Directors.

Jeffrey Ring is a health psychologist, leadership coach and educator, and advocate for health justice and equity. For 20 years he served as the director of behavioral sciences and cultural medicine at the family medicine residency program at White Memorial in East Los Angeles. He is first author of the book Curriculum for Culturally Responsive Health Care: The Step-by-Step Guide for Cultural Competency Training. In 2023, he was awarded STFM's Susan McDaniel Distinguished Career Award. 

Dedication, Determination and Discipline
Sampson Davis, MD

Underserved populations face a myriad of challenges when it comes to accessing health care, ranging from economic barriers to systemic inequalities. Addressing health care disparities among underserved populations is not only a matter of social justice but also a fundamental public health imperative. By addressing the underlying structural barriers and implementing targeted interventions, we can work towards building a more equitable healthcare system that ensures access to quality care for all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or other factors.

Key issues and importance of addressing health care for underserved populations include but are not limited to:

1. Limited Access: Underserved populations often have limited access to health care facilities, providers, and services due to geographical barriers, lack of transportation, or insufficient healthcare infrastructure in their communities.
2. Financial Barriers: Economic constraints, such as lack of insurance coverage or high out-of-pocket costs, prevent many underserved individuals from seeking timely medical care or preventive services, leading to delayed diagnoses and poorer health outcomes.
3. Health Disparities: Disparities in health care access and quality contribute to significant gaps in health outcomes among underserved populations compared to their more privileged counterparts. This includes higher rates of chronic diseases, lower life expectancy, and increased mortality rates from preventable conditions.
4. Cultural and Linguistic Barriers: Language barriers and cultural differences often hinder effective communication between health care providers and underserved patients, leading to misunderstandings, mistrust, and suboptimal care delivery.
5. Social Determinants of Health: Underserved populations are disproportionately affected by social determinants of health, such as poverty, inadequate housing, food insecurity, and limited educational opportunities, which significantly impacts their overall health and well-being.
6. Importance of Addressing Healthcare Disparities: Addressing health care disparities among underserved populations is crucial for achieving health equity, where everyone has a fair opportunity to attain their highest level of health. It not only improves individual health outcomes but also strengthens communities and reduces health care costs associated with untreated illnesses and emergency interventions.
7. Policy and Advocacy Efforts: Governments, health care organizations, and advocacy groups play a vital role in addressing health care disparities through policy initiatives, such as expanding Medicaid, increasing funding for community health centers, implementing culturally competent care practices, and promoting diversity in the healthcare workforce.
8. Community-Based Interventions: Community-based health care interventions, including mobile clinics, outreach programs, health education initiatives, and partnerships with local organizations, help bridge the gap in healthcare access and provide tailored services to underserved populations where they live.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Improve care for underserved patients and populations
2. Understand the importance of experiencing a sense of belonging
3. Develop trust in relationships—how does the health care team working together/being on the same page reflect patient care delivery
4. Understand the impact of belonging, and trust on patient outcomes as well care team engagement and function

Dr Sampson Davis was raised as the fifth of six children in Newark, one of New Jersey’s poorest cities. As a child Dr Davis grew-up in cramped living quarters, surrounded by fragmented families, crime, and drugs. Still, he was a good student, able to strike the fragile balance between being smart yet socially acceptable on the streets. It was this combination of skills, Dr Davis says, that were most critical to his survival.

While attending University High School in Newark, Dr Davis met Dr Rameck Hunt and Dr George Jenkins, two fellow students who together made a promise to become doctors. Dr Davis and his two childhood friends each successfully fulfilled their pact.

Dr Davis has appeared on numerous talk and radio shows including Oprah, Dr Oz, The Today Show, The View, CBS This Morning, Kelly and Mark, PBS News Hour, Anderson Cooper 360, and NPR as well as print publications including but not limited to People, O Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Washington Post, NY Times, USA Today, Parade and Black Enterprise.

Oprah Winfrey named Dr Davis, “One of The Premiere Role Models of the World.”

Today, Dr Davis is an emergency medicine physician at several New Jersey hospitals as well a medical director for urgent care centers and substance abuse facilities throughout the country.  

Will Family Medicine Lead Scientific Wellness?
Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH; Restore Health Disease Reversal

Scientific Wellness is described by Leroy Hood and Nathan Price as predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory (4Ps). Scientific Wellness is data rich with recommendations based on the latest information from human biology and aging. Scientific Wellness is a transformation from a disease center model of care to one that focused on health and wellness.  With a focus on comprehensiveness and healing relationships with patients, Family medicine is ideally suited to lead this transformation. In order to be successful in the development of Scientific Wellness, leaders and educators in family medicine will need to embrace this futuristic model of patient care. This presentation will provide a vision and strategies for transforming to Scientific Wellness.

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this session, participants should be able to:

1. Understand the 4P principles of Scientific Wellness
2. Have a vision for transforming patient care from being disease centered to wellness centered.
3. Understand strategies for teaching and providing Scientific Wellness to a group of patients and a community

Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH, is the founder of Restore Health Disease Reversal, a concierge primary care and consultation practice in Indian Wells, CA. He is a core faculty in the Eisenhower Health Family Medicine Residency program in La Quinta. Dr Scherger is clinical professor of family medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), Loma Linda University, and the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. Dr Scherger has special interests in nutrition and using lifestyle change to reverse disease. He is the author of two books, 40 Years in Family Medicine (2014) and Lean and Fit: A Doctor’s Journey to Healthy Nutrition and Greater Wellness (Third Edition, 2019). He is a team physician for Reliance Hospice in Palm Desert, CA.

Dr Scherger has served in a variety of clinical and education roles. He has received numerous awards, including being recognized as a “Top Doc” in San Diego for 6 consecutive years; Outstanding Clinical Instructor at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine;  Family Physician of the Year by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the California Academy of Family Physicians; the Thomas W. Johnson Award for Family Practice Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians; the AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award; the STFM  Lynn and Joan Carmichael Recognition Award; and the Desert Health Integrative Practitioner Wellness Award.

He has served as the president of STFM and the Riverside County Medical Association and on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Board of Family Medicine. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (Institute of Medicine) of the National Academy of Sciences and to the Bishop Society of STFM. He served on the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Quality of Health Care in America. Dr Scherger currently serves on the editorial advisory board of Medical Economics and was previously an assistant editor of Family Medicine, medical editor of Family Practice Management, and editor-in-chief of Hippocrates. He was the Men’s Health expert and a consultant for Revolution Health and he answers questions for eDocAmerica. He has authored more than 1,000 medical publications and has given over 1,100 invited presentations.

Dr Scherger enjoys an active family life with his wife, Carol, and two sons, Adrian and Gabriel.  He has completed 40 marathons, ten 50K and five 50 mile ultramarathon trail runs.