WOEMA Establishes Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Originally published on June 19, 2020

Dear WOEMA members:

On June 10, 2020, WOEMA issued a statement condemning racism and discrimination and made a commitment to working to help reduce disparities. As a step in that direction, I am pleased to announce the creation of a Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that will initially be comprised of 5-7 core members and will include two co-leads, First Vice President Dr. Rupali Das and myself. The charge to this Task Force will be to review diversity, equity, and inclusiveness across WOEMA's membership, committees, educational offerings, and other work products and recommend improvements as we move forward.

This announcement comes on Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, which commemorates June 19, 1865, the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves in the United States. Today, Juneteenth is especially significant as our society and the world continues to work towards social reform and constructive solutions on issues of inequality. As OEM practitioners we are well acquainted with the disproportionate burden of hazardous jobs and poor health outcomes among underserved communities.

I look forward to sharing the Task Force's recommendations on how we each individually and as an organization can contribute to reducing health care disparities and improving the lives of underserved workers and communities.

Best,

Erik Won, DO, MPH, FACOEM
President