Research Group
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Data demonstrates that under-represented minorities (URM) are more likely to die of cancer and less likely to enroll in clinical trials. Further, URM physicians and providers continue to be show a significant gap in representation throughout our medical and research systems. These systemic shortcomings contribute to ongoing inequities in the clinical outcomes of our patients and as such, Our Mission is to “Work together to end inequalities in pediatric neuro-oncology by improving access to care for our patients, broadening diversity within our community, and providing sustainable data-driven solutions.”
The goals of our group are to:
- Collect, analyze, and broadly share data driven findings to report on what we currently know about inequities and inequalities among our patient population and the physicians and researchers that make up our teams
- Provide resources/education to our internal PNOC and CBTN communities, keeping others up to date on impacting literature, current events, and presentations or talks in this field
- Expand diversity within our team and, as a result, throughout the field of pediatric neuro-oncology
We have divided efforts as a working group to address each of the above goals and to make a larger collective impact by addressing up to date data collection and sharing; ongoing, real-time education our team members; and diversity outreach. Since it beginning in July 2020, our team has:
- Created, distributed, and collected DEI survey results among PNOC/CBTN members to inform on the make-up and experiences across our clinician and research members
- Hosted educational discussions on DEI relevant topics open to all PNOC/CBTN members
- Developed an online resource for educational materials for all PNOC/CBTN members
- Began analysis to report on the impact of race, ethnicity, and social determinants on treatment and outcomes of children and young adults with central nervous system tumors
We look forward to continuing progress on these efforts and moving towards our first publication and presentations at national and international meetings in the coming months.
Our group is comprised of members from six institutions.
