Anti-Racism Statement

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As pediatricians, leaders, and advocates for children, we know that racism adversely affects the population we serve, our children. We are committed to recognize, address, and work to eradicate racism.

Pitt Pediatrics and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has a critical role to play in changing our community and assuring that all of our children can reach their full potential.

  1. We will create and maintain an environment where all feel safe to discuss the effect of race and racial and ethnic differences on our organization and our lives. 
  2. We will enforce zero tolerance for racism, harassment, discrimination, or violence against our trainees, staff, patients, and faculty. 
  3. We will identify, discuss, and challenge how race, color, and ethnicity affect our institution, its systems, and its people. 
  4. We will challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover.
  5. We acknowledge that all individuals are at various points along a continuing anti-racist journey. Every person should acknowledge that systemic racism is real, apparent, and a national public health crisis. We also understand that bias can be unconscious and unintentional and that racism is the combination of social and institutional power plus racial prejudice.
  6. We remain committed to working with our many community partners to address inadequate housing, food insecurity, transportation barriers, and environmental pollution as we prioritize primary care for children and families in Pittsburgh neighborhoods that have been historically oppressed and repressed.

We thank Drs. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, Juan Celedón, Stephanie Dewar, Dena Hofkosh, and Elizabeth Miller for contributions to this statement.