In Solidarity.

We, the resident physicians in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the leadership of the OBGYN residency program at the academic health sciences center formed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School and UMass Memorial Medical Center, take a strong stance to condemn the racism, violence, oppression, and racial injustice towards Black and Brown people that have plagued our country for years. We condemn the murders of three unarmed Black Americans, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, at the hands of excessive force by law enforcement. We grieve their deaths, as well as the countless other Black and Brown persons who have been victims of racial hate crimes.

We recognize and stand against the pervasive systemic racism towards people of color caused by white privilege and white supremacy. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already had a disproportionate impact on people of color and their health and well being, recent events of racially based violence only heighten already evident disparities in health care for Black and Brown people.

We are heartbroken for our colleagues, neighbors, and patients of color, and we offer our solidarity and support in light of these unspeakable atrocities.

As OBGYNs, we are committed to serving our community by providing comprehensive and culturally competent reproductive health care, including caring for those members of our society who are marginalized and suffering from systemic racial injustices. In order to reduce the racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare, we need to speak up at moments of great social injustice. We know that silence is not an option — not now, not ever.

In this moment and always, we pledge to provide un-biased, excellent clinical care to our patients. We pledge to recognize and acknowledge our own biases and privilege in order to be able to fully support and care for our patients of color. We are committed to our community, our patients, our colleagues, and our medical students. We pledge to uphold the tenets of diversity, inclusion, and equity and stand against intolerance, hatred, and racism.

In solidarity,

Corinne Weeks, MD • Amir Mehdizadeh, MD • Karin Britta Knutson, MD • Semonti Hossain, MD • Kathleen Minor, MD • Smita Carroll, MD, MBA • Kasey Hebert, MD • Christina Kunycky, MD • Michelle Marieni, MD • Estefania Santamaria Flores, MD, MPH • Kelsey Mantoni, MD • Caroline Geiger, MD • Michael Frangieh, MD • Michael Berger, MD • Elizabeth Thayer, MD • Jordan Trubiano, MD • Kara Kimball, MD, MPH • Kerry Fields, MD • Alison Asirwatham, MD • Sierra Starr, MD • Cheyenne Martinez, MD

Tara Kumaraswami, MD, MPH — Residency Program Director

Gina Sullivan, MD — Associate Program Director

Julianne Lauring, MD — Assistant Program Director

Sherly Previl — Residency Program Coordinator

Tiffany A. Moore Simas, MD, MPH, Med — Vice Chair, Department of OB/GYN

Julia V. Johnson, MD —Chair, Department of OB/GYN