Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee

The strength of any workforce is rooted in diversity. The AUA recognizes that a culturally aware and diverse membership is integral to the evolution and growth of the organization, as well as to the specialty of urology.

The AUA has recently named the inaugural Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Led by Larissa Bresler, MD, DABMA, chair of the DEI Committee and chief diversity officer, the DEI Committee is tasked with advising the AUA Board of Directors on shaping and executing diversity initiatives in accord with the recommendations of the AUA’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. The committee will be responsible for identifying and advising the Board on potential solutions to meet diversity gaps within the AUA organizational programs and collaborating with AUA Program Councils on the implementation of diversity initiatives and methods to recruit, support, and retain diverse AUA leaders and volunteers.

The committee has representation from all eight Sections of the AUA as well as a diversity of gender, race, sexual orientation, practice type, and specialty which will provide the diversity of thought that is necessary to move DEI initiatives forward.

Read more about each committee member, including Dr Bresler, on the newly published Diversity, Equity and Inclusion webpage (auanet.org/diversity).

In addition to committee member bios, the DEI webpage is where you can learn about all of the projects the DEI Committee will help support: the initiatives and opportunities offered by the AUA and the Urology Care Foundation including research awards, publications, humanitarian grants, webinars and educational opportunities, patient education, and more.

Stay tuned for future Voices columns from the DEI Committee members introducing themselves and their work in the DEI space as well as AUA’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. You’ll hear from committee members on Black History Month and racial justice work, bridging the gap between the AUA D&I Task Force and the DEI Committee, exploring the resident experience, and understanding micro-aggressions, to name a few.

The DEI Committee will also be producing a Voices podcast series on the AUANews Inside Tract podcast (AUAnet.org/podcast). Check out the first episode—a conversation between AUA President Dr Edward Messing and Dr Bresler—and then tune back in each month for discussions on the AUA Board structure, how the AUA works with the R. Frank Jones Society, diversity in peer review, pronouns and underrepresented groups, and more.