Annals of Surgical Oncology : Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism
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EDITORIAL
Annals of Surgical Oncology: Statement on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism Kelly M. McMasters, MD, PhD Editor-in-Chief, Annals of Surgical Oncology The Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD Department of Surgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY
Annals of Surgical Oncology (ASO) has seen growth and improvement in many areas over the past few years. In 2019, ASO’s impact factor improved to 4.061, up from 3.681 the prior year. For the first time, over 1 million ASO articles were downloaded in 2019, reaching a large worldwide audience. ASO’s Twitter following has nearly quadrupled since 2017. Speaking of SurgOnc, ASO’s podcast series moderated by Associate Editor Dr. Rick Greene, has been extremely popular. We have begun publishing and disseminating visual abstracts. Our video submissions have nearly doubled. In 2020, ASO has seen a 27% increase in original article submissions and, for the first time, over 1000 articles will be published in a calendar year. ASO has instituted a number of quality enhancements, including plagiarism screens for all submissions, conflict-of-interest statements required by all authors prior to submission, and more rigorous instructions to authors, including quality checklists. These advancements are some of the many reasons that ASO can legitimately claim to be the leading resource for cancer surgeons worldwide. Yet it is important for ASO to lead in other respects as well, and that begins with acknowledging our shortcomings and challenges. One of these challenges has been diversity.
It should go without saying that ASO believes in diversity, equity, and inclusion. It should go without saying that ASO deplores racism and discrimination. But these days, I think it is important to say this explicitly. We believe that diversity—of individuals, of background, of geography, of thought—leads to better science, which ultimately benefits the patients we serve. All of us are imperfect; we all have implicit biases we are trying to learn how to recognize and overcome. We all must learn how to become more conscious of the struggles of those who have been on the receiving end of our implicit biases. Discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation/gender identity, religion, national origin, age, or disability is easy to decry. Subtle, unintentional bias and inequity built over generations is much more insidious, pernicious, and difficult to unravel. More important than lofty statements about our values are our deeds and results. It has become readily apparent that it is not enough to hold strong convictions; such core beliefs must be put into action. This requires us to be intentional and purposeful, so let me tell you about some of the steps that ASO has taken to enhance its diversity. 1.
Ó Society of Surgical Oncology 2020 First Received: 2 November 2020 Accepted: 3 November 2020 K. M. McMasters, MD, PhD e-mail: [email protected]
2.
We now will include voluntary questions regarding race, ethnicity, gender, and nationality for all revi
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