The Duty to Lead by Example.

In the wake of the allegations against Harvey Weinstein and on the crest of the #MeToo movement, the AAGL has taken the initiative to examine our policies and expectations surrounding harassment, diversity, inclusion, and incident reporting. This progress was prompted in part by a letter received by the AAGL Board of Directors from a group of members outlining concerns regarding gender equality in our organization. The Board immediately responded by creating a Task Force on Anti-Harassment, Diversity, and Incident Reporting to review and revise AAGL’s existing policies in order to be proactive and create a safe, productive, and inspiring environment for our members. Sexual harassment has been recognized as a form of sex discrimination in the United States since the 1970s. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission defined sexual harassment as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly as a condition of an individual’s employment, submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis for employment decisions affecting such individuals, or such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment [1]. This definition can apply to same-sex sexual interactions as well. Sexual harassment has been normalized in our society. Over half of women have been reported to have experienced some form of sexual harassment with even higher percentages in women age 16–24. Nearly 25% of women have been touched without invitation. Almost half of respondents in one study had been warned about sexual advances that might occur from certain co-workers at the onset of a job [2,3]. Is the medical profession immune? Recent experience suggests the answer is no. A recently published article in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals similar numbers within the medical profession, with 30% of women reporting sexual harassment [4]. Sadly, some such incidents have been reported within medical environments and it is highly likely that more incidents remain unreported, allowing such behavior to continue. In a society dedicated to the care of women, it is our duty and our privilege to do better than this. As a member society, the AAGL has the opportunity indeed, the duty -to lead the field of medicine by example. In addition to sexual harassment, the AAGL recognized the need to provide guidance and set expectations regarding all types of harassment, diversity, inclusion, and incident reporting. This Task Force, with the assistance of the AAGL staff and outside expert consultants, have drafted several important policies which have been approved by the AAGL Board of Directors and will be implemented immediately. These policies are based on the Task Force’s vision of an optimal member organization and have been drafted following an extensive review of bylaws and policies adopted by other medical societies and with input from consultants with expertise in sexual harassment law to reflect best practices. A review of available policies outside of the AAGL revealed a dearth of guidance within medical societies, allowing the AAGL to be at the forefront of this societal improvement. Corresponding author: Jubilee Brown, MD, Gynecologic Oncology Levine Cancer Institute at the Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, NC. E-mail: [email protected] Available at www.sciencedirect.com and www.jmig.org