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 May 18, was hosted by Ashley Wallace-Tucker, OD, a partner at Bellaire Family Eye Care in the Houston area. She spoke with Lucy Kehinde Darnell, OD, PhD, who has held leadership roles in various initiatives involving clinical faculty and student affairs; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and belonging; and interprofessional education. Her efforts reach beyond the University of Houston College of Optometry (UHCO), through the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) special interest groups and the diversity and cultural competency committee. 

Q: Ashley Wallace-Tucker, OD: I’m excited to focus on the third part of DEI: inclusion. The aim of health care inclusion is to give staff and patients a voice to help provide and receive high-quality care and encourage the presence of a diverse health care staff in the treatment experience of all patients. To adopt this goal in real-life practice, we must first introduce and impress upon students the importance of inclusion.Why is talking about inclusion in health care important?

A: Lucy Kehinde Darnell, OD, PhD: Our goal is to serve, and it’s not to serve one particular population—it’s to serve whoever comes through our door. If we’re going to do it effectively, we have to consider inclusion. We have to consider whether a person feels like they can really openly communicate with us, and authentically say whether they can buy into what we’re trying to do and be a partner in in their own health care. It’s important for our staff, for ourselves, and certainly for best patient outcomes.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: One thing that really inspired me to invite you to this broadcast is something special that you’re doing at my alma mater, UHCO, and it’s the “Time to Talk” sessions. Can you share a bit about that?

A: Dr. Kehinde Darnell: We’re really proud of it. I think it’s pretty unique. It started in June 2020. It was COVID: we’re isolated, it’s scary, and on top of that, we have this social unrest with the murder of George Floyd and others. That was a catalyst for many organizations, schools, and businesses to reevaluate our policies and practices, our branding, know where we can increase our diversity and our representation in hiring, and reassess how to improve equity and operations—how to better serve broader populations that may not even cross our minds.

This optometry program requires social interaction, and we now cannot be in the same building. [Communication] had all but ceased when things hit a fever pitch. I wasn’t getting emails or phone calls, and it was because of the awkwardness of the situation.

When I did start hearing from people, because maybe there was a deadline that we needed to meet and we’re working together, a lot of what I heard was, “I feel so awkward. I don’t want to say the wrong thing. I don’t want to offend you. I don’t know how you’re feeling.”

A lot of students were expressing the same thing to me, the ones who are unrepresented or under-represented in the program. So, I just figured it’s time for all of us to talk, let’s just break the tension. Since [the first session], we’ve covered so many topics. It’s really just an opportunity to share experiences and insights, celebrate cultures, and raise awareness.

We want to know how we can be allies. Whoever they may be, however they represent—whether it’s religion, race, culture, anything that might otherwise make them feel “other”—because we are spending the majority of our waking hours together in this building in kind of high-stress, high-stakes situations. Not feeling included in all of that just raises anxiety.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: You [discussed] the hijab, inclusive health care for people with intellectual disabilities, and invisible stories of Asian Americans. Those are really tricky topics to navigate, and I want everyone listening to know she has done such a fantastic job. Can you share about sessions that you found most impactful?

A: Dr. Kehinde Darnell: We have legislation and things being proposed that make [some] people a little bit afraid and uncomfortable. One topic, for example, was “LGBTQ and You,” and I think the point of it all is to take away the fear of even talking about it. It is OK to disagree about something. It is OK to have your faith direct how you feel about something. But it shouldn’t take away an opportunity to learn more about it, educate yourself, and realize that people still need support and need to feel respected.

But the one that sticks out the most is probably the very first one, because it set the tone for everything else. It was an opportunity for the teachers to become the students. We have a generation gap between a lot of our faculty and the students, so it’s important that we have a conversation where someone can bring their lived experience to help others learn more about the world.

In that conversation, we had professors asking questions from a space of, “I really just don’t know,” and these first-years who were in their early 20s saying, “Well, here’s how that feels or here’s what that looks like or here’s an example.” Since then, in all topics—we talk about creating friendships in a group that you don’t belong to.

Dr. Wallace-Tucker: I was [at that first one] and amazed at the vulnerability of both the faculty and the staff and the way that my colleagues expressed themselves in a vulnerable situation.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: How frequently do you have the sessions?

A: Dr. Kehinde Darnell: It’s when it hits us. I think that’s important because every organization is different, every optometry school is different. We have geographic and cultural differences. My goal is to feel what the pulse is and understand what’s an important topic.

When we had to come back from COVID restrictions and be in person, we struggled with student engagement. At first we didn’t want them to come in for safety reasons, and now we want them to come to class. So, how do we get them to return and be face-to-face and fully engaged?

We had a conversation about student and faculty perspectives, and it was a chance to learn what our challenges are and how we navigate them. It’s important to know that when we deal with social issues, we have to be flexible. It may not be time to do something, and so we can just live our lives. Then, when the moment arises, we know that it’s time for us to really listen, which is a big part of communication, and then openly and respectfully talk about whatever is important to us.

Q: Dr. Wallace-Tucker: Do you have any recommendations for what practitioners and other educators can do to promote a more inclusive environment?

A: Dr. Kehinde Darnell: We can do a self-assessment about what our hang-ups and inclusive biases are and understand how we can circumvent them. We can certainly set the stage and be an example for how to create a space where people not only are there—they’re not just represented and tolerated—but they’re truly valued.

They are heard, they feel welcome, they feel respected and even celebrated because of their differences, not despite their differences. Look at ads and marketing, how we communicate with each other, the type of behavior we tolerate, the language we tolerate about different groups, our accessibility standards, all those things. Do a good, thorough audit, self-evaluation, and evaluation of our space. CLS

CATCH CLS LIVE! Watch this livestream’s full interview—and catch past and future episodes in the series via the online version of Contact Lens Spectrum at clspectrum.com or our Facebook or LinkedIn pages. Additionally, you can subscribe to Contact Lens Spectrum’s YouTube channel (bit.ly/clsyoutube22 ) to view this and other past interviews and to receive notifications about upcoming ones.