Keynote Presentation: Transforming the Clinical Lab through Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity with Live Q&A

Access to and experiences with healthcare continue to be inequitable worldwide even at the level of clinical laboratory testing. From building and sustaining a thriving, diverse workforce to adopting more inclusive testing practices to best serve an increasingly diverse patient population, there are many ways the clinical lab can also contribute to reducing health disparities amongst vulnerable communities. Here we present an overview of various initiatives and achievements within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic to transform praxis through the power of equity, inclusion, and diversity. We demonstrate that adopting measures to support, empower, and educate one another on diverse perspectives, establish a culture of safety and belonging, create opportunities for historically disenfranchised populations, and broaden our analytical, interpretive, reporting, and research efforts to be more inclusive of all individuals can not only improve laboratory science but also positively impact patient outcomes.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe measures for enhancing gender inclusivity in clinical testing.

2. Explain how race and ancestry can impact test results and representation in research. 

3. Discuss strategies for improving equity, inclusion, and diversity in the laboratory workforce.