Improving Visibility of Laboratory Scientists and Healthcare Professionals
More Programs and Publications Featuring Dr. Marilyn Bibbs Freeman
In this program:
How can laboratory scientists and healthcare professionals become more visible to patient communities? Expert Dr. Marilyn Bibbs Freeman from Virginia Department of General Services Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services (DCLS) explains activities and professional organizations she serves in to help with these efforts.
Transcript
Interviewer:
So, Dr. Freeman, how do laboratory scientists become more visible to the communities that they serve or could be serving? And how have you made yourself more visible to your community?
Dr. Marilyn Bibbs Freeman:
So my team here is encouraged to serve on committees, excuse me, that are not only based on our profession, but also personal endeavors. We promote activities and join them when we can. So what we're trying to do is model the types of behaviors with each other that we eventually want our laboratory professionals with to do with those that we provide services to. We actively encourage that professional organization membership, especially when there looks like there's a gap in representation. I mean, how many times have you gone to a virtual meeting now or an in-person meeting, and there is still a lack of diversity in the room? Let's jump into those spaces. Let's be courageous about it and not be afraid that we aren't going to be heard or seen.
Let's try to use strategies in our skillset to be sure that we are heard and seen. We actually train our staff to speak to the level of the audience and communicate often. We have round tables, we have training sessions about how do I communicate my points well enough and clearly enough that others can understand and take that information back with them? We actively model behaviors and actions we want to see in others. So I've been proud to watch them be change agents, not only in the healthcare profession or public health science, but also in their personal lives. And we also recognize that not everyone is going to buy in. We're realistic, that's fine, but we will keep doing the work no matter what. We would love if everyone got on the train with us. But the reality is that they're not. We are just asking them not to derail the train while we're on it so that we can keep doing the work.
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