Season Six: Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to shaping the future of plastic surgery. This season, Dr. Ash Patel and expert guests explore allyship, gender diversity, and the importance of representation in medicine. Discussions cover caring for transgender and gender-diverse patients, navigating discrimination, and fostering inclusivity in the workplace. Experts share personal experiences, highlight progress in the field, and discuss the work still needed to support underrepresented groups. With perspectives from plastic surgeons, clinical psychologists, and corporate leaders, this season provides valuable insights on how to build a more inclusive and equitable profession for all.

Description: Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel discusses the impact of allyship with Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Puru Nagarkar, MD and Clinical Psychologist Jennifer Coleman BA, MA, MS, PhD with the Road Home Program.

Summary: Dr. Jennifer Coleman discusses the concept of allyship from her perspective as a clinical psychologist. Together with Dr. Puru Nagarkar we will dive into how the impact of rising stress and tension from the COVID-19 Pandemic has contributed to the emotions surrounding racial inequality and allyship and what we can do to reveal our own unconscious bias.

Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel interviews Board Certified Plastic Surgeons William Kuzon MD, PhD and Katy Gast, MD on the topic of working with gender affirming patients and as their doctor what you can do to make them feel comfortable.

Summary: Dr. Bill Kuzon and Dr. Katy Gast provide insight to the importance of Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People in the field of plastic surgery. They will share how you, as their plastic surgeon, can make them feel comfortable and provide allyship to the Trans community.

Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel discusses LGBTQ issues in plastic surgery with Board Certified Plastic Surgeons Jessica Lee, MD and Joseph Losee, MD.

Summary: Dr. Joe Losee and Dr. Jessica Lee discuss the importance of LGBTQ mentors and allyship in the field of plastic surgery. They share the positive changes that they have both seen over the last few years along with the hurdles we still need to overcome to support the LGBTQ community in the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Description: Special guest host Dr. Ashley Amalfi interviews Residents Wendy Chen, MD and Shuting (Susan) Zhong, MD and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Katerina Gallus, MD, on the importance of Gender Diversity in the field of Plastic Surgery.

Summary: In this episode, sponsored by WPS, Special Guest host Dr. Ashley Amalfi interviews Dr. Wendy Chen, Dr. Shuting Zhong, and Dr. Kat Gallus on the importance of Gender Diversity in the field of plastic surgery. They will share their personal successes in the advancement of this topic and discuss what all of their colleagues can do to become an ally for empowering female plastic surgery growth.

Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel and Board Certified Plastic Surgeons Kavitha Ranganathan, MD and Erika Sears, MD share their personal experiences and how they’ve dealt with discrimination.

Summary: Dr. Kavitha Ranganathan and Dr. Erika Sears discuss the impact of being both a racial minority and woman in a heavily male dominant specialty. They will share the overt acts of discrimination they have experienced throughout their education and career and how this has affected them, both personally and professionally and how they rose above these challenges

Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel interviews Board Certified Plastic Surgeons Steven Williams, MD, Paris Butler, MD, MPH, and Kia Washington, MD on why diversity matters, now more than ever.

Summary: Dr. Steve Williams, Dr. Paris Butler, and Dr. Kia Washington discuss their perspectives on why diversity matters. Sharing their personal experiences, they will examine the importance diversity has on the specialty and how the existence of equity and inclusion directly impacts the delivery of patient quality care in the field of plastic surgery.

Description: Host Dr. Ash Patel interviews this seasons sponsor, Senior Vice President of AbbVie and President of Global Allergan Aesthetics, Carrie Strom and Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Kamakshi Zeidler, MD. They will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion and how it shapes corporate culture.

Summary: Carrie Strom from Allergan and Dr. Kamakshi Zeidler, KZ, dive into the importance of diversity in a big company, what they are personally doing to educate themselves on diversity and inclusion, and how they are actively recruiting a more diverse work force.