EACH MONTH, Contact Lens Spectrum broadcasts a livestream series called CLS Live! during which the host sits down with leaders in the world of contact lenses to discuss new and future products, the latest research, and worldwide trends in prescribing—and even brings viewers up to date live from the floor of CLS conferences such as the Global Specialty Lens Symposium.

This episode, which aired on June 9, was hosted by Ashley Wallace-Tucker, OD, a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care in the Houston area. She spoke with Janette Pepper, OD, associate professor at the Southern College of Optometry (SCO). In 2020, Dr. Pepper became the coordinator of student diversity and inclusion at SCO. She also serves as chair of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) diversity and cultural competency committee and vice president of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO) Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Committee.

Q: Ashley Wallace-Tucker, OD: I’m excited to focus on the final part of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI): belonging. Fostering a sense of belonging means that people of all backgrounds get a seat at the table and feel heard, seen, and recognized. Now more than ever, our students need to feel heard and accepted. Why do you feel it’s important that we have discussions like this on DEI?

A: Janette Pepper, OD: People who feel like they belong perform better, they give more valuable input, and they are more likely to stay there. With students, you can actually increase academic performance. It’s so critical that we make sure we have components of belonging, not just in our curriculum, but also in staff, faculty, and administrative interactions.

On the patient care side, we have health disparities where certain populations are more likely to [experience] detrimental effects of different health conditions. One of the reasons for that is how they are treated or the perception of how they are treated in the examination room. When we make efforts to enhance belonging—[i.e.,] “you’re my patient and I want to make sure we take care of your eyes the best way possible”—that says wonders for people who have medical mistrust, are marginalized, or are fearful of going to the doctor’s office. Belonging makes an avenue for increased patient adherence and outcomes, and it improves job satisfaction because we’re not only providing that platform of inclusion and belonging, but [patients] want to come back and they’re happy to see us.

We’ve all heard of the statistics…you’re more likely to be to be in a malpractice or a litigation situation with a patient when they feel like you don’t care about them versus when they feel like you do care.

Dr. Wallace-Tucker: Like you said, it starts with fostering that in our students. And that will bleed into health care and how patients perceive their care.

A: Dr. Pepper: Absolutely. The onus is on academic institutions to model that. Once we do that, the students not only hear about it but see it. Then, when they go out and practice, they’ll make it happen.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: Can you tell us about your [coordinator for student diversity inclusion] role?

A: Dr. Pepper: I [started as] the coordinator for student minority recruitment in 2010. I went to different schools and colleges for recruitment purposes, with the particular emphasis on HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities). I did that for a long time. [SCO President] Dr. Reich went to a conference where they were talking about the importance of diversity and inclusion in academic settings. [He had the idea that I could take on this role] because I was already interacting with students, advisers, and other colleges. It’s one thing for me to recruit all of these students, but if you get them there and they don’t feel welcome, what’s the retention with that?

He came to me in 2019 about it and we formulated the job description for me to start July 1, 2020. But then in March, COVID hit. And then, in May, when George Floyd [was killed]—it was a moment, right? So, the role that I had…immediately expanded. My focus was inclusion and I tried to do that, but I had to consider how our faculty is trained in inclusion and interacting with students. So, a lot more was tacked on after May 2020. We’ve been trying to navigate that, because this role could be a full-time position; I’m still a clinician and I still teach in the labs. We had to adjust our expectations to make sure that we were hitting our goals but also make sure I’m still an optometrist.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: The goal is to focus on student recruitment, diverse representation within college faculty, and then, of course, using cultural competencies in academic teachings. Do you think the profession is doing enough?

A: Dr. Pepper: The things that organizations are doing now with the American Optometric Association, the AAO, ASCO, and other organizations—this sort of thing was unheard of prior to 2020. We might have said something, but it might not have been as accepted. Now, they’re looking for ways to be more inclusive. They’re looking for ways to be better with interactions. I’m grateful for the effort. I’m grateful for the wanting to be better and understanding that different populations are just more advantaged than others and we need to do things to level out the playing field.

Have we reached the mecca of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our optometry organizations? Absolutely not. I think the first step is just being aware, because you can’t change what you’re not aware of. The second step is looking at how to shift culture by examining policies and structure, how things are set up.

That is what changes the culture; that’s what shifts the mindsets. In America, there are people who are disadvantaged and there are people who are advantaged, and those who are advantaged should help in ensuring that those who are disadvantaged have that level playing field.

I usually equate it to being left-handed in a right-handed world. As a righty, I don’t think about what left-handed people have to go through. I just do my thing. Right-handed and left-handed [individuals both need the tools to succeed]. That’s where you get the structural changes that make sure things are equitable.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: Do you have recommendations for practitioners to foster an environment that promotes a sense of belonging in their life and their practice?

A: Dr. Pepper: One thing you can do is value the people you have on your staff. How do you show that you value their input, that their input is important, that even though you may be the doctor, you don’t know everything, you don’t have the perspective of everyone, right? Their input may help you interact with patients who see things like they see them, specifically, if your staff is part of a major demographic that you serve. And you may not be a part of that particular demographic. Instead of the top-down approach, make it be a collaborative effort so that they feel as if they’re part of the team.

Also, if you have a patient demographic that may be different than your own, look at the cultural holidays that they may celebrate. For example, if you have a heavy African American population, have something that says Happy Juneteenth. Or if you have a staff member or patients who identify as LGBTQ, have a screen on one of your monitors that says Happy Pride Month. It doesn’t take a whole lot, as long as you’re showing the people you serve that you care about them and what’s important to them.

Those are ways you can foster that sense of inclusion, that sense of belonging. Just saying that means a lot to someone who may be fearful about going to the doctor. So, just having those in place makes a world of difference. CLS

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