OL202 - Opening General Session: Creating Strength Through Cultural Responsiveness - Sponsored by ReSound

We invite you to join us for a timely and candid dialogue focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

It is well established that social factors impact health outcomes. As health-care professionals it is incumbent upon us to maximize opportunities for positive patient outcomes by mitigating challenges imposed by differences in shared experiences, customs, and beliefs. In addition to our duty to our patients, it is also incumbent upon us as a profession to cultivate and foster the next generation of audiologists who represent diverse backgrounds. Being advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion is easier said than done and the most well-intentioned ambitions will not succeed without strategies for operationalizing our goals. We will, therefore, consider the following during this year’s keynote presentation:

- How do we advocate and care for our patients from diverse backgrounds?
- How do we identify and avoid microaggressions in our clinical practices and workplace?
- How do we promote diversity in a profession where we are challenged in our recruitment efforts?
- How do we support students and colleagues who may face disguised discriminatory behaviors in the clinic, while also accomplishing our commitment to care for patients regardless of their views?

Leveraging years of experience in this area, Israel will offer compelling content, simple solutions and tools that can be implemented immediately to build trust in the patient-care relationship, and support our academic programs. You will leave this session feeling inspired to take action and do something positive in your communities.