The SGMA Oath is a voluntary ceremonial affirmation of SGMA’s values and mission. It is not a membership requirement, a legal commitment, or a governance instrument. It is the commitment we make to each other and to the populations we serve.

Preamble

SGMA carries its name on purpose. We sit close to the word stigma, and we exist to take it apart. We do that through standards, because the way we name, classify, and describe people shapes who gets studied, who gets treated safely, and who gets left at the margins of research, healthcare, and public health. We accept the responsibility that comes with this work. We make these commitments in the spirit of the Kigali Manifesto, the declaration where this work began.

The Commitments

• We commit to seeing the populations that have been invisible in research and healthcare.
• We commit to counting people accurately and getting the language right.
• We commit to scientific rigor and integrity: we will never claim more than the evidence can carry.
• We commit to transparency.
• We commit to challenging exclusion that has no scientific justification.
• We commit to listening to the patients, participants, and communities our standards serve.
• We commit to guarding the trust placed in us, and never trading it for speed, convenience, politics, or personal interest.

Affirmation

We make these commitments freely. This is our promise to the populations this work was built to serve.

Standards that see everyone.