Perspectives and Progress on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) is a set of practices that aims to create a welcoming and inclusive environment. They are organizational frameworks which seek to promote fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented and/or unrepresented or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability. The IDEA is a relatively new way of thinking about and fully realizing the abilities and contributions of all individuals. The year 2020 was a year of focus on issues of systemic racism, inequality in our institutions, and cultural divisions. To support the Society for Vascular Ultrasound’s (SVU) goals, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council (DEI-AC) was established in July 2020 to provide ongoing and evolving assessment and recommendations integral to the success of the Society. Its purpose is to assist the SVU Board of Directors (BoD) to ensure that the voices of diverse SVU members are heard and represented within the SVU; its authority is to make recommendations to the BoD. The Council evaluated the current status of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the SVU, and what follows is a summary of those activities, goals of the DEI-AC, and recommendations for enhancing IDEA within our Society and for our members.