Mission
- Create more size inclusive healthcare environments through education, advocacy and community
Vision
- A healthcare system that does not pathologize body size
- A healthcare system that provides compassionate, respectful and equitable care to people in larger bodies
Guiding Values
- Compassion
- Social justice
- Harm reduction
- Community
- Cultural competence and humility
- Utilizing an intersectional framework honoring intersecting identities
Areas of Focus
- Creating size inclusive care environments:
- Healthcare environments may not have the proper medical equipment and structure to care for patients with larger bodies. This is a space to explore how to create better physical care environments and advocate for changes.
- Dismantling biases, stigma and discrimination in providing care to people in larger bodies:
- People in larger bodies experience assumptions made about their health because of their size. As a group we explore how to examine and challenge these biases and dismantle weight stigma.
- People in larger bodies are denied healthcare due to their body size. As a group we advocate for equitable, evidenced based care for people in larger bodies.
- Size inclusive language:
- People in larger bodies are often subjected to stigmatizing language contributing to adverse care experiences, emotional distress, negative mental health impacts and the avoidance of healthcare. As a group we explore and advocate for the use of inclusive language when working with people in larger bodies.
- Providing weight neutral healthcare:
- Rather than focusing on weight, we focus on the social determinants of health and supporting patients in self-care behaviors driven by patient autonomy and choice.
Contact Information
Co-President: Sravya Dasari
Co-President: Emily Mowry
Advisor: Virginia Reising, Associate Professor and Associate Chairperson, Community Systems and Mental Health Nursing