Monday, May 16, 2022
Dr. Francisca T. Velcek, former President of the SPSA received the James F. Densler DEI Award from the American Pediatric Surgical Association during the association’s Annual Convention in San Diego on May 12-15, 2022. Here are details for the confirmation of the award
James F. Densler Award
The purpose of this award is to acknowledge an individual who has a consistent track record of promoting diversity, equity and inclusivity in pediatric surgery. This includes delivery of care to diverse populations, working in diverse teams and promoting diversity and inclusivity in the pediatric surgery professional community. Nominees should show dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace and/or in programs dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged populations. Specifically, the applicants must be able to effectively describe how the nominee has demonstrated efforts/work that has addressed topics including (but not limited to) the following:
- Implicit bias, creating diverse management teams, and changing workforce culture
- Establishing diverse and inclusive mentorship teams
- Thoughtfully promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace or community
- Addressing the needs of underserved populations
The importance of DEI in Pediatric Healthcare is detailed in an article on December 2020 of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery surmised in this paragraph;
2. The importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion for healthcare providers. All pediatric health care providers are challenged to address the urgent public health crisis of childhood and adolescent healthcare disparities in the United States.2–4 Underrepresented minority and low-income children experience poorer outcomes in our healthcare system. Healthcare disparities have been reported in multiple surgical specialties including general surgery, trauma, urology, otolaryngology, kidney transplantation, bariatric surgery, neurosurgery, surgical oncology, and anesthesia. A large proportion of children are vulnerable and affected by health inequities in the United States. Fewer than 40% of children in the United States were non-Hispanic White in 2019. Twenty-three percent of American children do not use English as their primary language at home. Nearly 20% of youth ages 12–17 have special health care needs. Discrepant healthcare outcomes for underrepresented and lower socioeconomic status populations may be influenced by the demographic incongruity between providers and patients. Race and ethnicity concordance between patients and providers has been found to significantly increase the likelihood that Hispanic, Black, and Asian patients will seek preventive care. Patients in race discordant relationships with their physician have shorter office visits, rate their healthcare visits as significantly less participatory, and have a less positive perception of care received. In pediatric medicine, one study found that the mortality of Black infants is halved if cared for by Black physicians. Black and Hispanic physicians are more likely to practice in communities with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic residents. Higher practitioner cultural competence has been shown to result in better patient adherence to treatment and improved health outcomes. Language-concordant care has been shown to improve patient satisfaction and understanding for Hispanic families of pediatric surgery patients. A diverse and culturally-competent healthcare workforce is necessary to mitigate healthcare disadvantages presented to these children. A diversity bonus Groups strategically rich in identity and cognitive diversity produce results-oriented bonuses with greater regularity than homogenous groups. In part, this is because groups with greater diversity have access to a wider range of information, knowledge, mental models, frameworks, and heuristics. Diverse cognitive repertoires produce differences in thinking that result in greater creativity, innovation, and profit. Diverse teams also have a higher tendency to focus on facts, a greater expectation and acceptance of differing opinions, and an increased awareness of individual biases. In the healthcare field specifically, diversity bonuses have been found on a range of topics. Diverse medical school student bodies enrich the educational experience for all students. An additional example of the diversity bonus is the finding that higher NIH funding rankings is found in surgical departments with more women professors.
Here’s the write up from Downstate University Bullettin;
Congratulations to Pediatric Surgery chief and professor Francisca Velcek, M.D., FACS, FAAP, who received the 2022 James F. Densler Award from the American Pediatric Surgical Association.The James F. Densler award acknowledges an individual with a consistent track record of promoting pediatric surgery diversity, equity, and inclusivity, delivering care to diverse populations, working in diverse teams, and promoting diversity and inclusivity in the pediatric surgery professional community. The award is named after the first African American pediatric surgeon to practice in the USA (1969), the first African American to be accepted into the Surgical Section of the American Academy of the Pediatrics (1971), and the second African American to be certified in Pediatric Surgery (1976).Dr. Velcek received her medical degree in the Philippines in 1966 before moving to the United States to launch her medical career. She completed a general surgical residency at St. Clare’s Hospital Medical Center in New York City in 1971. Subsequently, she completed a pediatric surgery fellowship at then-Downstate Medical Center / Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.She practiced as a private citizen and as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corp from 1987 to 1998. For her service during Operation Desert Storm, she received a Distinguished Service Medal from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.Most recently, Dr. Velcek was inducted into the American College of Surgeons’ Academy of Master Surgeon Educators, an elite group of master surgeons whose mission is to advance the science and practice of avant-garde surgical education and training. Dr. Velcek is now one of only 223 surgeons in the nation to receive this honor.Dr. Velcek is board certified in general surgery, with special certification in Pediatric Surgery and critical surgical care. She has published over 47 scientific articles in national and international peer-review journals and delivered over 160 invited lectureships in national and international meetings.Comments from SPSA Fellows;
Dear Oyo,
I am pleased to inform you that Dr. Francisca T. Velcek, a Past President of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America is the recipient of the Dr. James F. Densler Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the American Pediatric Surgical Association DEI Committee given at the Association’s Annual Convention, May 15, 2022 held in San Diego, California. Dr. Densler is the first African American Pediatric Surgeon in this country. This is only the 2nd Densler Award granted by the Association. It is in recognition of Dr. Velcek’s advocacy and commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion throughout her entire Professional career. Dr. Velcek is the Professor and Chief of Pediatric Surgery at the Downstate Medical Health and Science Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn, NY. We congratulate Dr. Velcek for this distinct and well deserved honor. Please share this information with the membership and our Website. Thank you,
Hernan
Hernan M. Reyes, MD, FACS
Bayani Ignacio
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Well deserved Frances !Iggy
Ed Gamboa
Congratulations, Dr. Velcek! Thrilled to hear of the award. So fitting and well-deserved. Could not happen to a better surgeon!
I am so happy she is now Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Downstate. Will surely keep the residents on their toes and fix pedi herniae within 5 minutes flat!
Cheers!
Ed