Society of Ears, Nose, and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) - Project Abstract This proposal requests support for the next five Society of Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) annual scientific conferences, to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. The 51st SENTAC (2023; 1st year of support) will be held at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, the 1st weekend in December. Location of the remaining four conferences will be known at least 18 months prior to conference. SENTAC is a valuable conference in the field of pediatric otolaryngology, hearing, speech, language voice, and swallowing. The annual multidisciplinary conference is composed of physicians and allied health care professionals, including otolaryngologists, pediatricians, scientists, audiologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The annual meeting is an ideal opportunity for our community with trainees to present their multi- and trans-disciplinary research, participate in teaching sessions, and experience expert panels. The overarching goal of this grant is to support annual conferences for the next five years with a focus on enhancing diversity in membership and attendees and support research presentations and educational sessions that focus on health inequities in the field of ear, nose, and throat disorders in children. Specifically, we aim to: 1) Support the enhancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the 51st, 52nd, 53rd, 54th, and 55th SENTAC conferences, by partnering with a Historically Black College/University and/or Hispanic/Minority Servicing Institution in the regional location of the SENTAC conference each year; 2) Promote and support the education and development of diverse trainee and early career professionals by creating a culture that empowers student and early career professionals to be engaged and participate in mentorship opportunities; 3) Organize special sessions on research for health disparities within the medical and allied health science fields to address health disparities in the field of pediatric ear, nose, and throat care at a national and global level, and 4) Organize special sessions led by diverse individuals to increase the attendance and membership of diverse participants. NIH funds are requested to provide registration fees for diverse/minority students and mentors from regional minority education programs, support a diversity, equity, and inclusion award to an individual or group, travel for DEI keynote speaker and workshop presenter, awards for selected early career research, and provide support for child/family care. A small amount of funding for the MPI’s in the first 3 years (and decreased in the last 2 years) will provide the necessary time to focus on the importance of the DEI efforts and establish the programs focused on DEI within SENTAC so that all future meetings will automatically include this important framework.
