Moving a National Medical Meeting in Response to California’s Anti–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Discrimination Travel Ban

Abstract

As our political landscape becomes more polarized with states creating conflicting laws intended to uphold citizen rights, medical organizations may find themselves involved in conversations and decision making far removed from their professional society missions. Because the Association of University Radiologists (AUR) was in such a position this year, our narrative may benefit other medical organizations, inside and outside of the field of imaging. The AUR mission statement is “to inspire and educate the academic radiology community through collaboration and innovation in teaching, research, management, and leadership.” The AUR’s aspirational vision statement is “We will be an agile, inclusive, collaborative, and creative organization bringing value to patients and their care by enabling radiologists to advance innovation in academic medicine and scholarship.” Although organizations may rarely think about their mission and vision statements once they are created, familiarity with these statements may be highly beneficial when debating the best course for an organization to pursue, particularly when there are competing interests expressed within the group. Inclusion by Exclusion: Response to: “Moving a National Medical Meeting in Response to California’s Anti–Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Discrimination Travel Ban”Journal of the American College of RadiologyVol. 16Issue 9PreviewThe Association of University Radiologists (AUR) response [1] to the edict forbidding California’s physician scientists from sharing knowledge in jurisdictions with differing viewpoints seems particularly ironic. Full-Text PDF