A necessary paradigm shift: recognizing the surgeon-advocate in academic surgery.

ABSTRACT: Health equity and the social determinants of health are increasingly prioritized in health care delivery across North America and globally, yet academic medicine remains ill equipped to support equity-focused advocacy. We argue that this stems mainly from a gap in recognizing advocacy as an academic pillar alongside research, education, and administration. Advocacy is undervalued in academic medicine, as reflected in teaching, hiring, and promotion criteria and what is published in academic journals. Health equity is essential for the health of populations, and the current structure of academic medicine should be redesigned to recognize, value, and support equity-based advocacy efforts. Advocacy can be integrated in 2 key areas: medical education and faculty roles and promotion pathways. A

SUBMITTER: Bondzi-Simpson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12448761 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep-Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature