Thinking About a DEI-related Project? Apply for These AAN Grants!
August 13, 2024
In the more than 27,000 square miles that make up the Navajo Nation reservation in the southwestern US, Yvette Brown-Shirley, MD, says only two high schools have an athletic trainer—a serious issue for teens who suffer injuries including concussion while playing sports.
“An athletic trainer is a vital liaison between the school and the athlete’s medical team. Ideally, the student athlete has a multi-disciplinary team educating them and managing their concussion recovery,” she said. “As a Native American physician and a sports neurologist, I’m working to increase access and awareness of neurological care to my people. This includes being a resource as a neurologist for these schools and medical teams despite being several hours away from the reservation in Phoenix.”
Brown-Shirley is a neurologist at the Barrow Neurological Institute’s Brain Injury and Sports Neurology Center, director of Barrow’s Native American Health Equity Initiative, and an assistant professor in its department of neurology. In her role as a sports neurologist, she’s part of the robust Barrow Concussion Network.
“We provide a statewide resource for athletic trainers to provide baseline concussion testing,” she said. “If needed, student athletes can receive a neurological consultation in our clinic within a week of injury so we can start managing their symptoms and getting them onto the ‘return to play’ and ‘return to learn’ protocols.”
However, she noticed a lack of enrollment for baseline concussion testing at high schools on the reservation—high schools that her family has attended.
“I noticed there were no reservation high schools that were currently baseline concussion testing their athletes,’” she said. “I wanted to find a way to increase access to care that my tribal community needs to improve the safety of our student athletes.”
DEI Innovator Grants
Brown-Shirley is a 2024 recipient of the AAN’s DEI Innovator Grant, a set of two $2,000 prizes for neurology students or faculty who have innovative ideas to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in their academic neurology departments or the communities they serve. The grant is intended for applicants with little or no prior experience in implementing DEI-related projects, especially students, residents, fellows, and early career faculty.
Brown-Shirley’s project was to implement a baseline concussion protocol and culturally appropriate concussion education for a Navajo Nation high school. She says her team is about halfway through implementing the pilot protocol and plans to expand it to more communities—both tribal and rural.
“There’s no shortage of communities that we need to provide these resources to,” she said.
The DEI Innovator Grant is accepting applications through October 3, 2024. Active, US-based AAN members who are affiliated with an academic institution are eligible, and applicants with little to no experience are encouraged to apply. The application is available online.
DEI Project Grants
Also accepting applications through October 3, 2024, are the AAN’s DEI Project Grants. These two $2,000 grants are intended for faculty members who have experience with DEI work in their academic neurology departments. Like the DEI Innovator Grants, they support projects, events, and activities that foster diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Camilo Gutierrez, MD, FAAN, is a 2024 recipient of the grant and an associate professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He attended Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico and has firsthand knowledge of a significant issue facing medical students pursuing neurology in the area.
“Puerto Rico hosts three LCME-accredited medical schools, with many students interested in neurology and an active Student Interest Group in Neurology,” he said.
“However, there are only three neurology residency positions available in Puerto Rico, as well as a shortage of neurologists to provide clinical training and education to these students.”
While Puerto Rican medical students can pursue training and residency in the mainland US, Gutierrez said they face significant barriers like language differences, cost, and lack of information about the opportunities that are available to them.
Looking for a way to address the barriers, Gutierrez collaborated with Puerto Rican medical student leaders and developed a virtual curriculum and mentorship program that aims to bridge the “clinical neurology education gap,” inform students about mainland residency opportunities, and ease their fears about applying to these programs.
“To date, we have successfully conducted three lectures, which received excellent attendance and positive feedback,” he said. Once the curriculum is complete, Gutierrez and his fellow program developers will evaluate student feedback, match data, and other information to determine its impact.
Gutierrez said DEI-focused grants and programs play a crucial role in the broader world of health care by providing the opportunity and motivation to explore new ways to support equity in the workforce.
“We must enhance our efforts to promote these grants and increase both their funding and availability to significantly impact the quality of patient care,” he said. “Health equity translates to better care for all.”
More information and links to apply for both grants are available on the AAN’s resource page for academic neurologists and researchers.