Recognizing the overwhelming need to devote resources and efforts specifically to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) has expanded its mission into a robust and comprehensive agenda over the next few years and beyond. This is based on the 4 pillars of our official DEI statement and mission: Strengthening, Engaging, Extending, and Educating.

1. Strengthening our scientific workforce through recruitment, mentorship, funding assistance, and networking opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities.

The SMSNA Fellowship Training Program Grant for Women in Prosthetic Urology was launched in 2021 to support females in sexual medicine pursuing fellowship training and provide the necessary financial support for women in sexual medicine. The DEI committee is partnering across committees to expand funding for health disparities and female sexual health research. Finally, the DEI and Membership committees have collaborated to modify the membership data profiles and obtain more information on our diverse membership. This will allow us to identify potential mentoring and networking opportunities for our underrepresented minority (URM) members.

2. Engaging in meaningful conversations with diverse individuals and groups to gain insight and to correct sexual health care disparities.

SMSNA understands that unique sexual health issues contribute to health disparities. We are aiming to best understand how to leverage such research and conversation to improve patient care and advocacy. We are actively inviting and supporting not only urologists, but also sexual medicine experts across the continuum to contribute in this manner.

3. Extending outreach to communities historically underserved and to communities where historically there has been both limited access and negative experiences with health care.

The DEI committee will be launching multitiered mentoring teams, comprised of urologists, fellows, residents, and URM medical students with an interest in sexual medicine. We have a particular interest in recruiting medical students from HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and supporting the development of sexual medicine interest groups at these schools. We look forward to partnering with the AUA’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee on their inaugural Career Day at the Scientific Meeting in Chicago. The Annual Fall Meeting of SMSNA will also include an inaugural Career Day for URM medical students from University of California San Diego.

4. Educating new generations of physicians, nurses, mental health providers, and advanced practice providers to care for patients who are LGBTQIA+.

SMSNA has partnered with Boston Scientific to create an innovative course on care for LGTBQIA+ patients, with the ultimate goal of incorporating this information into our clinical practices. Additionally, the DEI committee is collaborating with the Legislative Affairs committee to ensure that our society’s advocacy priorities incorporate the unique needs of URM groups in urology and medicine overall.

SMSNA has certainly made significant strides in our efforts to focus on DEI across the spectrum, and we are excited to collaborate within our organization and across external ones to set the standard for equitable care in sexual medicine. For more information, please visit our website at www.smsna.org.