Representation Matters. Increasing Diversity in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

quite taken aback when a candidate asked me what it was like to be a black oral and maxillofacial surgeon (OMS) in full-time academic practice. For a moment, I was completely torn. Should I tell him how incredibly thankful I am every day to pursue a career that I absolutely love? Should I say that I feel fortunate to both learn from and teach the future leaders of our specialty? How about the amazing impact we as oral and maxillofacial surgeons have, not only on our patients? lives but also within the communities we serve? While all these responses would have been true, deep down, I knew that these were not the answers he was searching for. Would this be an appropriate time to warn him about the microaggressions that he will surely face during his career? Did I feel comfortable telling him about some of the more explicitly jarring