A Collaborative DEI and Anti-Racism Initiative for Physicians and Medical Leadership

Program Overview:

CMSS Collaborates to Launch ACGME Equity Matters^TM Learning Communities to Drive Measurable Improvements in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medicine

Initiative Will Promote Health Equity and Anti-Racism Practices and Policies Across Medical Training and Practice

In support of its comprehensive strategic initiative focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) is proud to announce its partnership with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to launch ACGME Equity Matters^TM.

ACGME Equity Matters^TM is a new initiative that introduces a framework for continuous learning and process improvement in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism practices. The initiative aims to drive change within graduate medical education (GME) by increasing physician workforce diversity and building safe and inclusive learning environments while promoting health equity by addressing racial disparities in health care and overall population health.

To make significant progress, those charged with physician training and ongoing education for physicians must commit to advance advancing equity and counter racism across the full continuum. In this collaborative effort, the ACGME and CMSS will drive measurable improvements in equity by working to increase physician workforce diversity and create clinical and learning environments that are safe, inclusive, and equitable.

Forty-two organizations including 31 CMSS Member Specialty Societies and 11 OPDA Member Program Director Associations are participating in the inaugural 18-month cohort of the learning communities.  Future cohorts will permit additional member organizations to join the learning communities. CMSS and the ACGME are committed to sharing learnings with the broader medical community.

“We are committed to the significant and sustained efforts that will be needed to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine and counter structural racism,” said Helen Burstin, MD, MPH, MACP, CEO of the Council of Medical Specialty Societies. “Specialty societies and program director associations committed to this partnership to achieve actionable recommendations and real results.”

CMSS, a coalition of 48 specialty societies, represents more than 800,000 physicians across the field of medicine that support education, science, and scholarship. OPDA, convened by CMSS, is dedicated to improving the quality of resident education and promoting communication and cooperation between residency programs to achieve excellence in graduate medical education across all specialties in medicine. The ACGME accredits Sponsoring Institutions and residency and fellowship programs, confers recognition on additional program formats or components, and dedicates resources to initiatives addressing areas of import in graduate medical education.

Click here to read the news release.

Program Contact:

Julia Peterson, Operations Manager, jpeterson@cmss.org