The DEIJ Committee: Leading the Way to Transformation

ABGC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEIJ) Committee held its first meeting this year. Created following the DEIJ Certification Assessment Report conducted by Nonprofit HR in 2021, the committee is dedicated to furthering ABGC’s commitment to fair and objective decisions, transparency in interactions and accountable stewardship. ABGC continually strives to develop assessments without bias, respect all voices and seek out diverse perspectives, and the DEIJ Committee will help lead the way toward these goals. The committee’s first priority is addressing Nonprofit HR’s findings and recommendations, some of which ABGC has already begun implementing. These include offering live remote proctoring to mitigate instances of low proximity to test sites and researching methods to recruit demographically diverse item writers. All recommendations and findings can be found on the website.

According to Kate Wilson, MS, CGC®, board liaison to the DEIJ Committee, the committee is aiming to “review the Nonprofit HR findings and create a priority list of action items that includes both short-term and long-term goals.” Ultimately, these goals will be presented to the ABGC board for consideration.

Additionally, the committee is working on activities and projects that will support pillar one of ABGC’s strategic initiatives: “Develop and encourage a culture of inclusivity within genetic counseling that supports visible and invisible diversity by expanding the perspectives represented in our field and fostering equity in assessing competence.”

Supporting this pillar, Wilson explains, means implementing “structured, intentional and permanent efforts” to promote DEIJ within both ABGC itself and the exam and recertification processes.

“What this means in immediate terms is evaluating ways to collect demographic information on exam candidates and proposing DEIJ language and definitions for board of director approval,” she Kate Wilson, MS, CGC®, Genetic Counselor, Product Director, Oncology, Quest Diagnostics; DEIJ Committee Board Liaison continued on page 3 says. In the long term, it may include efforts such as providing scholarships or other cost-reduction options to offset exam costs, evaluating the length of the exam and participating in broader conversations regarding alternative methods of demonstrating competency.

Forming the Committee

Following 2020’s #ABGCListens initiative, ABGC committed to hiring an independent third-party organization to conduct an objective review of aspects of the certification and exam development processes that could lead to inequities for exam candidates.

Ultimately, the board chose DEIJ-experienced consulting firm Nonprofit HR, whose report concluded that, overall, ABGC’s Certification Exam and corresponding processes are in “good shape where information is available, but there are opportunities for further investigation and consideration to address DEIJ concerns.”

In response to this conclusion, the board created the DEIJ Committee, requesting that ABGC Diplomates apply to join.

“[Interested Diplomates] completed an application that assessed work, volunteer, and DEIJ experience and expertise,” Wilson says.

Ten certified genetic counselors now sit on the committee. Currently, they’re in the process of selecting two co-chairs.

Wilson says she was honored to be the liaison to the committee because of her passion for genomic equity, which includes health care professional training and certification.

“When I applied to be on the ABGC board, one of my commitments was to evaluate the exam process for bias and support a culture of inclusion and belonging,” she says.

Wilson believes DEIJ is incredibly important to everyone involved in ABGC.

“I’m excited to see us put together an official committee and framework for actionable and sustainable change in the DEIJ space,” she says. “I believe genetic counselors should be dedicated to DEIJ since we are health care providers and patient advocates. As certified genetic counselors, we are trusted health care professionals who promote patient safety and ensure higher quality health care for all.”

Looking Forward

A key part of developing DEIJ Committee objectives will be establishing metrics for evaluating ABGC’s progress. The committee will do so in conjunction with the board.
“The board does want to implement a way to track and measure the outcomes and progress, in order to know that successful change is happening and forward action is occurring,” Wilson says.

Once objectives and metrics are established, the committee plans to evaluate other certification bodies, as well as professional organizations, to learn from their DEIJ best practices. ABGC is learning from and working alongside other genetic counseling professional groups toward achieving various DEIJ goals. Wilson is interested in hearing member suggestions of any additional regulatory groups, certification bodies or professional societies that could provide examples.

Another future committee goal is expanding DEIJ efforts outside the exam process “to impact the greater ABGC landscape and Diplomates,” Wilson says.

ABGC is committed to engaging those who bring a variety of ideas, experiences, backgrounds, talents and interests, and ensuring those diverse perspectives are incorporated as it continually evaluates and revises all stages of the genetic counseling certification exam development process and continuing competency. With the support and leadership of the DEIJ Committee, ABGC will be able to ensure these commitments become realities.