May 14, 2021
At Boston Scientific, we are in the business of advancing science for life – for people of every background, color and creed.
In 2020, we committed to a $3.5 million multiyear strategy in the United States to combat inequity, systemic racism and injustice in our communities. Simultaneously, we expanded and accelerated our internal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) programs, which encompass long-standing initiatives to prevent and address discrimination and racism in our workplace. “We are making steady progress on our DE&I strategy, including combating racism. We see this work as integral to our focus on delivering meaningful innovations that transform lives,” says Camille Chang Gilmore, vice president of Human Resources and global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, Boston Scientific. “Although there is still much work to be done, we remain committed and believe that communicating our efforts leads to greater accountability and progress.”
Below are a few examples of our work and the impact of our collaboration and investments over the last year.
Supporting Our Communities
- Mike Mahoney, chairman and chief executive officer, signed the CEO Action For Diversity & Inclusion Statement on the Protection of Voting Rights for the Black Community.
- More than $320,000 in donations, including matched employee contributions, supported 11 organizations by providing financial assistance to approximately 200 Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned small businesses in Minnesota through Twin Cities Rebuild for the Future Fund. The funds also supported innovative solutions for Minnesota’s Black communities administered by the Minnesota Funding Collective.
- Through the Minnesota Business Partnership, we joined more than 80 companies in the state, and together we are working with lawmakers and communities of color to advocate for policies and programs that advance social and racial justice including police and education reform.
- We took steps to further expand the number of Black-owned enterprises that provide supply chain services for our business in the United States including donating $100,000 to the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Greater New England Minority Supplier Development Council. Last year, we worked with 3,200 diverse suppliers and spent $599 million on their services.
Investing in Education
- As part of our focus on equity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, we directed $100,000 in technology grants to ConnectedMN and seven schools to help close the digital learning gap for low-income, primarily BIPOC youth in Minnesota.
- We donated $50,000 to Achieve Minneapolis supporting their work to help more than 300 students in Black communities complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) financial aid process by the end of 2021.
- Boston Scientific was named a top ten supporter of HBCU Engineering Schools in 2021. We partner with HBCU Deans of Engineering to support internships, research and advisory board partnerships, sponsor Becoming Everything You Are and the advancement of minority interests in engineering.
Confronting Health Disparities
- We created the Boston Scientific Health Equity Scholarship at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions. This endowed scholarship will be awarded annually to four graduate-level health care students of color committed to addressing health disparities.
- The Boston Scientific Close the Gap health equity program continues to empower health care providers to reach more patients of color, fight long-standing inequities, and address barriers to care.
- Building on efforts to increase diversity in medical research, Boston Scientific initiated the ELEGANCE Patient Registry, which aims to expand the body of clinical evidence on the outcomes of patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease by focusing enrollment on underrepresented minorities, particularly women and members of the Black and Hispanic communities.
- Four Boston Scientific employees took a two-year career sabbatical and joined the CEO Action for Racial Equity Fellowship program to advance racial equity through public policy.
Accelerating Our Internal DE&I Progress
- We required unconscious bias training and created new educational resources, including an anti-racism website, for all employees. Additionally, we expanded DE&I training opportunities to develop our leaders as inclusion champions. Topics include microaggressions, modeling inclusive behaviors, the history of racism, allyship and how to move from being “color blind to color brave.”
- With more than 200 hours of Real Talk conversations that reached thousands of employees, we fostered candid dialogues about race and identity.
- Our employee resource group members and leaders were provided additional opportunities to connect with senior leaders and share perspectives and insights, with a 151% increase in the number of chapters over the past five years.
- We invested in the creation of a multi-faceted, anti-racism training program that will be globally introduced over the next three years.
- Boston Scientific was one of the top 10 Forbes Best Employers for Diversity in 2021.
We will continue to promote equity and cultivate an enduring culture of inclusion while holding ourselves accountable as an organization – setting a positive example for the greater community.
To learn more about our Combating Racism Strategy, visit our website.