SPOTLIGHT BUILDING A CULTURE OF INCLUSION AND EQUITY THROUGH ADVOCACY, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION An Interview With Ava E. Pierce, MD
SAEM PULSE | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020
Ava E. Pierce, MD, is an associate professor in the department of emergency medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, the associate chair of diversity and inclusion for the department of emergency medicine, the director of the Emergency Medicine Research Associate Program, and co-director of the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP) at UT Southwestern. Dr. Pierce also works clinically at Parkland Health and Hospital Systems. She obtained her medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine at Shreveport and completed an emergency medicine residency at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Pierce completed the Medical Education Research Certificate (MERC) Program and the AAMC Healthcare Executive Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program and is committed to making innovative changes that will enhance diversity and inclusion and improve excellence in health care, thus strengthening a diverse workforce that will provide culturally competent quality medical care to all. She serves as a member of the UT Southwestern Medical Center’s medical school admissions committee and is a faculty liaison for Housestaff Emerging Academy of Leaders (HEAL), which focuses on professional development and mentoring for residents and fellows from under-represented groups. Her research interests include medical education, diversity and inclusion, and cardiac resuscitation.
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Dr. Pierce has built a steadfast academic career with involvement in numerous capacities at SAEM. She has been actively involved in the Academy for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Medicine (ADIEM) since it was founded and has served as ADIEM’s development officer and president. She was awarded ADIEM’s Outstanding Academician Award in recognition of her impact on the academic success of students and residents from underrepresented minority groups. She has also served on SAEM’s Membership Committee, Ethics Committee, and Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Most recently she was elected as a 2020–2021 memberat large of the SAEM Board of Directors. She is a member of the National Medical Association, the AAMC Group on Diversity and Inclusion, and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Pierce was interviewed for this article by Dr. Sharon Atencio, chair of the SAEM Pulse Editorial Advisory Task Force.
