Bioethics: The Next Generation and the Need for Inclusion

Abstract: Recently, the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD) Presidential Task Force on Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Bioethics, developed a set of recommendations to promote racial justice at the institutional level. While programmatic changes like expanding funding support and increased representation in required readings are vital steps, recent attempts to eliminate Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (REDI) initiatives may hinder the implementation of these recommendations. Thus, a return to this discussion is critical and timely. Our panel aims to continue this conversation by centering the lived experiences of early career bioethicists who are directly impacted by these recommendations. The first presenter will examine the challenges of implementing Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) initiatives, focusing on how recent opposition affects institutional efforts to promote racial justice in bioethics. The second presenter will discuss structural and interpersonal barriers faced by underrepresented scholars, including surveillance, exclusion, and limited access to opportunities. Lastly, the third presenter will analyze the impact of compassion fatigue, knowledge production pressures, and semi-inclusion, exploring how emotional strain, institutional expectations, and conditional inclusion contribute to the marginalization of underrepresented scholars in bioethics. These barriers can create what Philosopher Gaile Pohlhaus Jr (2020) refers to as semi-inclusion, where those who are marginalized are included in knowledge production to the extent that they do not disrupt the axes of power that asymmetrically serve the needs of those more privileged. Our panel aims to generate additional recommendations for supporting underrepresented early career scholars during this unprecedented time.

Keywords: Early Career Scholar Advocacy, Structural and Institutional Barriers, Retention Strategies