• Nimish A Mohile, Andrew R Spector, Ima M Ebong, Charles Flippen, Camilo Gutierrez, Rodney O Leacock, Erika Marulanda-Londoño, Nicte I Mejia, Reena Thomas, and Roy H Hamilton.
• From the Department of Neurology (N.A.M.), University of Rochester Medical Center, NY; Department of Neurology (A.R.S.), Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; Department of Neurology (I.M.E.), University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington; Department of Neurology (C.F.), David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Neurology (C.G.), University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore; Palmetto Health USC Neurosurgery/Neurocritical Care (R.O.L.), Columbia, SC; Department of Neurology (E.M.-L.), University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL; Department of Neurology (N.I.M.), Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Department of Neurology (R.T.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; and Department of Neurology (R.H.H.), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Nimish_mohile@urmc.rochester.edu.
• Neurology. 2021 Jan 5.

AbstractAcademic Neurology Departments must confront the challenges of developing a diverse workforce, reducing inequity and discrimination within academia, and providing neurologic care for an increasingly diverse society. A neurology diversity officer should have a specific role and associated title within a neurology department as well as a mandate to focus their efforts on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion that affect staff, trainees and faculty. This role is expansive and works across departmental missions but it has many challenges related to structural intolerance and cultural gaps. In this review, we describe the many challenges that diversity officers face and how they might confront them. We delineate the role and duties of the neurology diversity officer and provide a guide to departmental leaders on how to assess qualifications and evaluate progress. Finally, we describe the elements necessary for success. A neurology diversity officer should have the financial, administrative and emotional support of leadership in order for them to carry out their mission and to truly have a positive influence.© 2021 American Academy of Neurology.

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