I AM A LOOKING TO GO

Health Equity Week of Action (HEWA)

02/25/2025 - 03/1/2025

The Health Equity Week of Action (HEWA) is an annual week-long virtual event that focuses on raising awareness about the health disparities that exist across racial, ethnic, cultural, and social groups. However, more specifically, HEWA focuses upon the “why” of these disparities and the root cause responsible for them. The webinar series is an opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions that will aim to inspire the actions needed to lean towards and face the difficult truths of these inequities. Together, hand-in-hand, we can change the face of medicine by empowering connections and learning opportunities which directly equip us to be the thoughtful leaders we aim to be. In doing so, this year, we are adopting an abolitionist approach- one that demands a socially just world and concept of medicine is for and not against its people. 

The HEWA organizing committee is promoting the following definition of health equity to emphasize the justice we are striving to achieve:

Physician and Medical Anthropologist Paul Farmer emboldens us to act by leaving us with these words:

“If access to healthcare is considered a human right, who is considered human enough to have that right?”

Keep up with the week’s activities on social media! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Live events will occur daily throughout the week at varying times to best accommodate varying schedules. Daily sessions will vary from 1-3 sessions/day. Please view the direct schedule for session times and check your emails upon registration!

RSVP below to receive the meeting invites.

REGISTER AND GET UPDATES

2025 Health Equity Week of Action Schedule

Monday, February 24th | Introduction to Abolitionist Medicine: A Necessary Unraveling 

Tuesday, February 25th| Encoding Racial Equity into Clinical Algorithms & Practice: Minority Stress & Racism in Medicine 

Wednesday, February 26th | Affirming Care Practices: Timing, Trauma, and Empowerment 

Thursday, February 27th | Narrative Medicine- More than Words

Friday, February 28th | The Unwritten History of Moral Medicine: The Human Rights Agenda

*Note: Each session will last ~1 hour unless noted otherwise

Day 1: Introduction to Abolitionist Medicine: A Necessary Unraveling

From an early age, we learn cause and effect—touch a hot stove, feel pain. As healthcare professionals, we’re trained to search for the causes of symptoms. Yet when it comes to systemic health inequities, why do we settle for treating the effects rather than dismantling the root causes? Why do we accept band-aid solutions to maternal mortality, food deserts, and medical neglect while leaving the underlying structures intact?

  • Session Time: 5:00 PM ET
  • What to expect: Abolitionist medicine challenges us to go beyond reform and reimagine healthcare without the oppressive systems that create harm in the first place. This session will explore how we can balance immediate care with systemic change, moving from reactive treatment to transformative justice.
  • About the Speaker: Dr. Russyan Mark Mabeza (he/siya) is a surgical resident at UCSF. Dr. Mabeza’s background as both a surgeon-in-training and an advocate for antiracism, justice, and belonging in healthcare aligns perfectly with the goals of abolitionist medicine. His experience at UCSF, a leading institution in medical research and education, provides him with firsthand knowledge of current medical practices and the challenges in implementing systemic changes.See more on Dr. Mabeza here.
  • Resources to Learn More: 
    • Read Dr. Mabeza’s article in the AMA Journal of Ethics about the abolitionist approach. 
    • Read this AMA Journal of Ethics article on abolitionist medicine. 

      • Top it off with this article on how abolitionist medicine goes beyond do no harm.

    Day 2: Encoding Racial Equity into Clinical Algorithms & Practice: Minority Stress & Racism in Medicine

    We bring in day 2 by exploring the critical issues of race-based medicine, the use of antiquated race in clinical diagnostics, and the impact of minority stress on health outcomes and quality of life. The sessions will delve into the harmful effects of racial bias in medical algorithms and discuss strategies for promoting equity in clinical decision-making. Participants will gain insights into dismantling race-based practices in healthcare which perpetuate cycles of harm and addressing the root causes of health disparities among minority populations. Further, future clinicians will get a chance to identify and adopt a curious lens regarding the impact of this upon mental health outcomes as well. 

    • Session Times: Session 1: 3:30 PM ET, Session 2: 5:00 PM ET 
    • What to expect: Attendees can expect an in-depth exploration of how race-based medicine and clinical algorithms perpetuate health disparities. The event will feature expert discussions on the effects of minority stress and racism on patient outcomes, as well as practical strategies for implementing equity-focused approaches in clinical practice. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in interactive Q&A sessions with a leading clinician and network with peers who are passionate about advancing health equity. This eye-opening event aims to provide actionable takeaways that will help improve patient care and challenge systemic biases in healthcare, ultimately transforming the future of medicine towards both greater inclusivity and a responsibility towards questioning and ceasing practices of harm. 

    About the speakers: 

    • Session 1: Donya Ahmadian, MPH (she/her), AMSA National Staff with Encoding Equity cohort
    • Session 2: Dr. Chase Anderson, MD.
      Dr. Chase T. M. Anderson (but just call him Chase!) is currently a child and adolescent psychiatrist at The University of California, San Francisco, the Director for The Muses Program for Minoritized Youth, and graduated from adult psychiatry residency at The Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at UCSF. He completed his undergraduate education in Chemistry at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his master’s in Biological Engineering at MIT as well, and is a graduate of The Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. 
      Their writing has appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Mental Health, NPR, Scientific American, WonderMind, STAT News, and other news and journal outlets. In their free time, he enjoys going for long walks, doing queer things, listening to K-pop, reading fantasy books, playing soccer, writing, planning dinners with friends, and dreaming of how we can better the world together.
    • Resources to Learn More/Action Items: 
      • Learn more about Dr. Anderson’s work with Minority Stress .
      • Read some of Dr. Anderson’s Op-Eds here.
      • Take a look at the history of race-based medicine in clinical diagnostics here.

    Day 3: Affirming Care Practices: Timing, Trauma, and Empowerment 

    Every medical student remembers the first time they stepped into an OSCE, heart pounding, rehearsing the right questions, the right responses—what to say and what not to say. But real patients aren’t standardized. They don’t follow a script, and their histories don’t fit neatly into checklists. What medical school often forgets to teach us is that the way we listen matters just as much as what we say or do. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is more than a checklist—it’s about timing, power, and creating a space where patients feel heard and safe.

    • Session Time: 4:00-6:00 PM ET
    • What to expect: This session moves beyond theory into practice. Through guided discussion, mock OSCEs, and hands-on skill-building, participants will navigate real-world scenarios: responding to disclosures, communicating with sensitivity, and recognizing the impact of trauma on care. The goal is not just to learn what to say, but how to hold space in ways that affirm dignity, autonomy, and trust.
    • About the Speaker: Dr. Taylor Brown, MD (she/her). Taylor Brown is an emergency physician and Medical Education Fellow at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center dedicated to integrating trauma-informed care (TIC) into clinical care and medical education. She completed her undergraduate studies at Stanford University and medical school at Harvard Medical School. She is already an important innovator in TIC space, having developed a novel framework applying trauma-informed care to medical education published as a scholarly perspective, “Trauma-Informed Medical Education (TIME): Advancing Curricular Content and Educational Context.” She has created numerous TIC curricula and the first ever trauma-informed care faculty development curricula describing a trauma-informed approach to precepting medical students. She has presented her work locally, nationally, and internationally across medical specialties.
    • Resources to Learn More/Action Items:
      • Read Dr. Brown’s Trauma-Informed Medical Education (TIME) to learn how medical schools can integrate trauma-informed care into their curriculum.
      • Read this piece on the importance of gender-affirming care.
      • Finally, check out  this piece on belonging, respectful inclusion, and diversity in medical students.

      Day 4: Narrative Medicine- More than Words 

      Medicine is more than diagnoses and treatments—it is a collection of human stories. Every symptom is part of a larger narrative, and the way we listen, interpret, and respond shapes the care we provide. Yet, language in medicine is often wielded as a tool of power, sometimes dehumanizing patients or reinforcing bias. How do the words we choose impact trust, agency, and healing? How can narrative medicine help us see patients not just as cases, but as whole people?

      • Session Times: Session 1: 12:00 PM ET, Session 2: 5:00 PM ET
      • What to expect: These sessions will explore the history and practice of narrative medicine, examining how storytelling, reflection, and intentional word choice can transform clinical encounters. In our first session, the founder of Equity Commons, Dr. Aubrey J. Grant, shares how he has been revolutionizing healthcare education through a lens of narrative medicine and fighting back against implicit bias. Using virtual reality and AI, the company creates immersive experiences that address bias in healthcare. Dr. Grant aims to foster empathy and understanding among medical professionals and through   blending technology with storytelling, Equity Commons seeks to transform patient care, ultimately leading to more equitable health outcomes and stronger patient-provider relationships.
      • In our second session, through guided discussion and journaling exercises, participants will engage with the ways language can both harm and heal—and how reclaiming narrative can be an act of empowerment. Dr. Paul Gross, founder and editor-in-chief of Pulse: Voices from the Heart of Medicine will guide us through his platform and how he invites healthcare professionals, students, and patients to share their personal stories, fostering empathy and reflection in the medical field. In addition to editing Pulse, Dr. Gross conducts writing workshops that emphasize the healing power of storytelling, which he will guide us through live. His work aims to connect healthcare providers with their own humanity and that of their patients, ultimately enhancing compassion and understanding in healthcare.
      • About the Speakers: 
        • Session 1: Dr. Aubrey J. Grant is the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Equity Commons. Dr. Grant is also a practicing clinical sports cardiologist and Director Cardiovascular Sport & Performance with MedStar Health. Prior to that, he was a clinical sports cardiologist at the Harvard Massachusetts General Hospital with specialty training in advanced cardiac imaging. Outside of clinical duties, Dr. Grant is passionate about implicit bias and leveraging technology and innovation to create thoughtful and engaging mitigation strategies for physicians. He was recognized by the National Minority Quality Forum as a Top 40 Leader in Eliminating Health Disparities.
        • Dr. Grant will be joined by the Whitney A. White, the CEO and Co-Founder of Equity Commons. Previously, for more than 14 years, Whitney served as CEO of Afara Global, an innovation firm that guides startups, nonprofits, and corporate teams through the process of launching and scaling new products and services. Whitney is also the creator of Take Back Your Time, a coaching practice that helps high achievers cut through the noise of the million and one things on their plates and get on a clear path to achieving the goals that matter to them most. A graduate of Davidson College, Whitney founded the Davidson Tech Impact Fund in 2015, which provides paid experiential learning opportunities for women and students of color to intern with women and minority-owned businesses in critical areas related to tech at no cost to the business. Whitney is Chair of the Davidson College Board of Visitors and a member of the Davidson College Board of Trustees, where she serves on the Teaching, Learning, & Research and Audit & Finance committees.
        • Session 2: Dr. Paul Gross, MD (he/him). Born in New York, the son of a Cuban father and Belgian mother, Paul Gross is a family physician and founding editor of Pulse–voices from the heart of medicine ( pulsevoices.org ), the online weekly devoted to telling the personal story of health care. Now retired from clinical practice in the Bronx, for thirty years he served as residency program faculty–at Montefiore’s Residency Program in Social Medicine in the Bronx and at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers. He graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and is still an assistant professor at Albert Einstein. He and his wife Diane Guernsey have two grown daughters and are founding members of Avalanche at Dawn , a band whose most recent album, Daylight , was released in 2022, and who are soon to release their third album.
      • Resources to Learn More/Action Items: 

      Day 5: The Unwritten History of Moral Medicine: The Human Rights Agenda

      • Session Times: Session 1: 3:00 PM ET, Session 2: 6:30 PM ET. 
      • What to expect: Medicine has never been neutral—its history is shaped by the values, biases, and power structures of its time. As future physicians, we inherit both the progress and the failures of those who came before us. These sessions will explore the evolution of medical ethics, the role of advocacy in shaping healthcare, and how we, as the next generation of healthcare leaders, can define a new agenda centered on human rights, equity, and justice. 
      • About the Speakers: 
        • Session 1: NMDP (formerly Be The Match & National Marrow Donor Program) Panel Panel at 3:00 PM ET
        •  Session 2: AMA’s very own Michaela Whitelaw and Jeff Koetje at 6:30 PM ET

          Michaela Whitelaw is a 4th year medical student at Emory. Prior to medical school she was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in Philadelphia then spent two years in the Peace Corps Dominican Republic as a Community Health Promoter. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked part time at a medical legal partnership serving first-time mothers, worked as a Family Services Case Aid with World Pediatric Project and volunteered with a Latinx community health clinic in Philadelphia. Most recently she studied for an MPH in U.S. health policy and focused her thesis on menstrual equity. She’s passionate about incorporating medicine, advocacy, policy and education to address promote health equity and social justice.

          While in medical school she has been involved in student groups, advocacy, volunteering, research, and electives focusing on immigrant health and ICE detention, individuals who are incarcerated, individuals experiencing houselessness, voting rights, DEI initiatives within our school, and other issues relating to health equity and social justice.

      • Resources to Learn More/Action Items:

      Plus, check out highlights of events from past weeks of action:

      Day One: Reproductive Justice

      Reproductive Justice is often defined as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. Over the past few decades, increasingly restrictive policies have passed that have limited individuals’ access to essential reproductive care, particularly abortion care. Various states have limited public funding for abortion care, enacted policies that misguide and deter women from pursuing abortions, and limited access to such abortion means. Learn more about this topic by viewing the resources below and join us for a conversation with our invited speaker. 

      HEWA 2022 Reproductive Justice Toolkit 

      Resources to learn more: 

      Action items: 

       

      Day Two: Diversity in Medicine

      Across medical institutions and programs, there is a significant underrepresentation of BIPOC and other minorities. Many factors contribute to this reality, including the substantial cost of a medical career, including high preparatory and exam fees, medical school tuition, access to preparatory tools, and bias in the selection process. The lack of diversity in medical environments exacerbates biases in the delivery of care and perpetuates distrust in medical systems. To equitably serve patients from different backgrounds, address the disparities in healthcare, and dismantle racism in medicine it is essential that the medical workforce reflects the diverse community it services. As future physicians, we have a unique responsibility to use our voice to advocate for increased representation in medical programs and institutions. Learn more about this topic and how you can take action by reviewing the information below.

      Diversity and Equity in Medicine Toolkit

      Resources to learn more:

      Action Items:

       

      Day Three: Immigrant and Refugee Health

      Immigrant and Refugee Health

      • The U.S. is home to more than 44 million immigrants and refugees. In recent years, immigrants and refugees in the United States have been subjected to increasingly aggressive immigration policies that violate fundamental human rights—including access to essential healthcare. Recent stories of misguided and coerced medical procedures have reflected immigrants’ bleak and commonplace experiences in detention centers. The inhumane treatment that the immigrant and refugee communities have faced is alarming and requires action. Tune in today to learn more about some of the most significant issues that this community is facing and how you can use your voice to advocate for them.
      • Refugees are people who are forced out of their country due to war or persecution for political, ethnic, or religious reasons.

      Resources:

      Action Items:

       

      Day Four: Environmental Justice

      Whether it is access to water, food, energy, or overall quality of life, there is an imbalance around the world. Environmental factors can lead to health disparities and give unequal access to various populations. As future physicians, it’s essential to understand how environmental factors impact patients. Environmental justice acknowledges that underserved, impoverished, and minority communities are disproportionately exposed to greater pollution levels and harmful environmental conditions, which confer worse health outcomes. Native communities tend to be some of the most disadvantaged and disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice. Use the resources below to learn more about this critical topic and how you can advocate for environmental justice.

      Environmental Justice Toolkit

      Key Points to Know

      • Native land today, as we know it, covers around 55 million acres of land across the United States. These lands contain natural gas and oil reserves, coal, various minerals, and much more. Tribes have faced difficulty in authority and management in some of their resources given non-tribal government involvement. Geopolitical lines are blurred, and those who suffer are the tribal lands.
      • For years the federal government and non-tribal individuals have Communities such as the Swinomish Tribe and Coast Salish tribes have been working together to make tools to help create a tool that looks at different indicators that can potentially impact native community health from natural resource contamination. The environmental protection agency was the first federal group to take on an official Indian policy where tribes were the primary parties for setting standards for making environmental policy decisions.

      Action Items:

       

      Day Five: Microaggressions in Medicine

      Microaggressions

      Microaggression is defined as a discriminatory offense towards an individual based off of their race, gender, or any marginalization. The term was coined by an African American Psychiatrist in 1970 to help encourage dialogue in regards to any harms that nondominant groups in medicine face.

      Resources to learn more

      Key Points to Know

      • Microaggressions can be categorized into three separate groups; microinsults, micro assaults, and microinvalidations. Higher levels of racial microaggressions have been shown to correlate with higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
      • On average four out of ten women leave their medical profession around six years after training. Those from minority groups are more likely to receive optimal medical care, and such conversations are delicate to discuss.

      Action Items

      Day One: Black Maternal Health

      Across the country, Black mothers are subject to maternal health challenges at alarmingly high rates, and Black women overall suffer disproportionately from a lack of access to quality reproductive care. Today we will dive into the sources of these disparities, and discuss what you can do to help reduce this health gap.

       

      Resources to learn more: 

      • Check out the Black Mommas Matter Alliance’s Toolkit
      • Key points to know
        • In the U.S., too many women are suffering from pregnancy complications that lead to serious injury and death. The U.S. currently ranks lower than all other developed countries when it comes to maternal death ratios. Some women are more at risk than others. Black women are 3 – 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women, and women in Southern states have a higher risks of pregnancy-related death than women in most other parts of the country.
        • Many of these deaths and illnesses are preventable. The U.S. could avoid about 40% of maternal deaths if all women – regardless of age, race and zip code – had access to quality health care. In addition to improving healthcare access and quality, government actors need to address the root causes of Black maternal mortality and morbidity – including socioeconomic inequalities and racial discrimination in the healthcare system and beyond.

      Action Items: 

      • Read and discuss this article about black maternal mortality in your chapter
      • Check out this video interview of Linda Villarosa
      • Follow the call script below, and call your congressperson in support of the MOMMA’s Act
        • HR 1897 – being considered by health subcommittee
        • Find your rep here
        • Sample phone call:
          • Dear Representative [insert name],Hi, I’m a constituent and I am calling to ask Representative DelBene to cosponsor H.R. 1897, the MOMMA’s Act and support it in the House Committee on Ways and Means where the bill is waiting for a vote.The U.S. maternal mortality rate is the highest amongst our peer nations. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 700 American women die each year from pregnancy or childbirth complications. African American women are three to four times more likely to die than their white counterparts.Starting or growing your family shouldn’t mean putting your life at risk.[provide name and address if asked]Thank you for your time

      Day Two: Immigrant and Refugee Health

      Today we will explore the unique healthcare disparities immigrants and refugees face in the United States. The USA is home to more immigrants than any other country—about 46 million, just less than a fifth of the world’s immigrants. In recent decades, several policy and regulatory changes have worsened health-care quality and access for immigrant populations. These changes include restrictions on access to health insurance programs, rhetoric discouraging the use of social services, aggressive immigration enforcement activities, intimidation within health-care settings, decreased caps on the number of admitted refugees, and removal of protections from deportation. Perhaps the clearest example of this is in the separation of children from their parents at the U.S. Southern border this past year.

      Resources:

      Action Items:

      • Sign up to volunteer at a local community health center or free clinic that serves immigrants and refugees in your area
      • Read this guide to understand the current administration’s policies that threaten immigrants and exacerbate immigrant health disparities
      • Call your representative to defund ICE using this call script from the ACLU
        • Hi, my name is [YOUR NAME] and my zip code is [YOUR ZIP]. I demand that you cut DHS’s budget by defunding anti-asylum programs like MPP.The Department of Homeland Security is the Trump administration’s key tool for terrorizing immigrants. DHS is responsible for abuses like family separation, inhumane child detention, and unleashing ICE and CBP to lawlessly antagonize immigrant communities throughout the country. The agency is also implementing Trump’s anti-asylum policies, flouting the law to shut out asylum seekers. DHS must be held accountable – and that means we must cut its budget.Do not bend to Trump’s abusive immigration policies. No wall. No beds. No more agents. No family jails. I won’t allow my taxpayer dollars to fund DHS’s abuse of immigrants.

      Day Three: Diversity in Healthcare Professionals

      From undergraduate school to medical school, there’s a lack of diversity in both the students and physicians. We will be looking at the race disparities statistics in medical school applications and how it continues on throughout the whole health care system. We’ll explore how and why it is important to decrease the racial gaps to further improve patient health care access and experiences.

      Resources:

      Action Items:

      Day Four: Race, Genetics, and Health Disparities

      Today we will explore how race and genetics are discussed in the medical field. Often during the first few years of medical school, students are taught to generalize and associate. For example, if you hear “black” in a question, you’re told to select “sickle-cell.” The problem with that association is that it could lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses. Because sickle-cell protects against malaria, it may also be seen in other populations such as in Greece. Today’s focus is exploring the impact science has had on replacing ideas of race as biological.

      Resources:

      Action Items:

      • Complete and discuss this activity
      • Learn more about why we need to rely more on genetics and less on skin color and race by watching these TED talks
      • Discuss the following questions in your AMSA chapter about genetic testing:
        • Could genetic testing help reduce or increase disparities?
        • Why is there a fear of discrimination by insurance companies, employers, and society as a result of genetic testing?
        • What are the altrications of each form of genetic testing: diagnostic, carrier, and predictive testing?
        • How can genetic testing benefit your life as well as your children’s life?

      Day Five: Cultural Competency in Health

      As we have discussed throughout this week, health disparities are prevalent across our healthcare system. As the U.S. population becomes increasingly diverse, they are likely to increase if not adequately addressed. One way to address these disparities is through cultural competency. Cultural competency can increase patient engagement, utilization of preventive services, treatment adherence rates and overall health status. As the population becomes more diverse, it is a social justice imperative that health care providers, employers, and health plans recognize the need to deliver culturally competent care and services to improve health outcomes, lower the total cost of care, and improve patient satisfaction.

       

      Key Definitions:

      Cultural competence is the ability to interact effectively with people of various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and social groups. Working towards cultural competence is an ongoing process, one often tackled by learning about the patterns of behavior, beliefs, language, values, and customs of particular groups.

      Cultural humility involves an ongoing process of self-exploration and self-critique combined with a willingness to learn from others. It means entering a relationship with another person with the intention of honoring their beliefs, customs, and values. It means acknowledging differences and accepting that person for who they are.

      Source: https://soundscapingsource.com/cultural-humility-vs-cultural-competence/

      Action Items:

      • Tune into our webinar with Dr. Meleo-Erwin on 1/31 at 2 pm EST
        • Health Beliefs, Practices, and Experiences in Socio-political and Cultural Contexts: Considerations for medical practitioners
        • Zoe Meleo-Erwin is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at William Paterson University. She received her doctorate in sociology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in 2013 and holds master’s degrees in social ecology from Goddard College, and disability studies from the City University of New York School of Professional Studies. Her primary research projects explore how individuals make the decision to have weight loss surgery, pre- and post-surgical experiences of embodiment, and the post-operative relationship between weight loss surgery patients and their home surgical clinics. Her research interests include health disparities, structural determinants of health, weight-based stigma, food-based health movements, and decision making around vaccination. Learn more about her at www.zoemeleoerwin.com
      • Watch this TED talk on the role of culture in healing
      • Check out this report on how to improve cultural competence in your healthcare organization

      Race and Genetics – January 21, 2019

      Today, we explore how race and genetics are taught in medical school. Often during the first few years of medical school, students are taught to generalize and associate. For example, if you hear “Black” in a question, you’re told to select “sickle-cell”. The problem with that association is that it could lead to misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses. Because sickle-cell protects against Malaria, it may also be seen in Greek populations and others. Today’s focus is exploring the impact science has had on replacing ideas of race as biological.

      Activities:

      – Host this activity with your chapter at a luncheon or chapter meeting

      – Learn more about why we need to rely more heavily on genetics and less on skin color and race by watching these TED talks: The Biology of Race in the Absence of Biological Races, and What’s Race Got to Do with Medicine?

      – Ask a doctor about their thoughts on viewing race as a risk factor and if it helps or hurts us in caring for diverse populations

      Race During Medical School – January 22, 2019

      If you’ve ever experienced any race-related issues during your undergraduate education, you might be surprised to know they often continue into medical school. Today, we explore how a student’s race might come into play in everything from professors treating a medical student differently in a lecture hall to race issues within the hospitals. Why are professors in today’s education system still hold these biases? What biases might we hold, and what can we do about them?

      Activities:

      – Premeds! Check out this interesting Op-ed: How To Tell If Your Program’s Diversity Is a Hologram

      – Check out this M.D.’s view on race’s importance in the hospital

      – Learn about a physician’s perspective on White Privilege in a White Coat or another physician’s What It’s Like to Be a Black Man in Medical School

      – Reflect on your personal encounters with disparities (i.e. being of a minority population and pursuing medicine), or stories that you’ve heard from friends, family, acquaintances

      What is Whiteness? – January 23, 2019

      Today we seek to provide evidence that race is a social construct. Too often, people don’t give a second thought when asked to self-identify, however, we should stop and consider how these lines are made up artificially. Why are they made up? Who stands to benefit from these classifications?

      Activities:

      – Learn about How the Jews Became White Folks.

      – Understand exactly Who Invented White People.

      – Reflect on the first article provided for today.  How fair is it to say that Jews became successful due to their own abilities and efforts? To what degree did government programs play a part in this upward mobility?

      – Learn about your own biases by taking this quick assessment: – Take “Race” and “Arab-Muslim” implicit bias tests here: Implicit Association Tests. Do you believe these tests? How will knowing these biases change the way we approach patient care, if at all?

      Physician Diversity – January 24, 2019

      Did you know that even though 39% of full-time faculty are female; female faculty from some racial minority groups continue to be underrepresented in academic medicine? Only 4% of full-time faculty identify as Black or African American, Latino or Hispanic, Native American or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander females.1(AAMC) As time has passed, there has been a rise of physicians from underrepresented minority groups which ultimately contributes to a decreasing health disparities gap; however there remains a large need for more minority physicians and minority physician leaders.

      Activities:

      – Learn about Current Trends in Medical Education1, as it relates to physician diversity and demographics

      – Interview a doctor on this topic

      – Volunteer at an underserved community health clinic

      Call For Action – January 25, 2019

      With our overall goal of decreasing health disparities and increase the number of physicians of color, today we focus community outreach. We would like to make high school students and undergraduate students aware that there are diversity offices in medical schools.

      Activities:

      – If you are a medical student, contact your medical school’s diversity office and request pamphlets/scholarship information. Disseminate this information to nearby colleges and high schools in impoverished areas. You could talk to the career advice office of high schools and ask them to host you to answer questions for interested students.

      – If you are a college student, contact a nearby medical school’s diversity office and request pamphlets/scholarship information. Disseminate this information to your classmates through your local AMSA chapter. Go into the community and deliver this information to high schools.

      – Take a moment and reflect on information from this week. What will you do differently from now on, if anything?

      Mental Health – April 16, 2018

      One in five adults in the U.S. suffer from a mental health condition within a given year.  We want to raise awareness of these disorders, destigmatize them, and empower people with resources and knowledge.  Mental health is as serious and real as physical disorders; it is time for our us to treat them as such.

      Activity Ideas:

      – Look at these fun mindfulness activities for Children and Teens

      – Facilitate a 1-2 hour group activity with this Mental Health Awareness Activity

      – Check out this free mental health resource library, packed with anxiety reducing worksheets, planners, gratitude exercises and more.

      – Learn more about why we need to speak more openly about mental illnesses by watching these TED talks: Joshua Walter: On Being Just Crazy Enough or Ruby Wax: What’s so Funny about Mental illness

       

      Social Determinants of Health – April 17, 2018

      “It is impossible to understand people’s behavior…without the concept of social stratification, because class position has a pervasive influence on almost everything…the clothes we wear…the television shows we watch…the colors we paint our homes and the names we give our pets…Our position in the social hierarchy affects our health, happiness, and even how long we will live.” – William Thompson, Sociologist (Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology)

      Activity Ideas:

      – Check out this TED Talk: Social Determinants of Health by Claire Pomeroy

      – Look up the nearest grocery store, how long would this trip take if you didn’t have a car? Are there any food deserts in your city?

      – Reflect on your personal encounters with disparities (i.e. being of a minority population and pursuing medicine), or stories that you’ve heard from friends, family, acquaintances.

       

      Age-Related Topics – April 18, 2018

      Today we consider how social factors affect the life expectancy of different races. We also explore the leading causes of death.

      Activity Ideas:

      – Check out this TED Talk: How Racism Makes Us Sick by David R. Williams

      – Read an article on Mortality in the United States

      – Reflect on the article and TED Talk provided for today.  Identify the race that has the lowest life expectancy and the race with the highest life expectancy.  Why do you believe these statistics match these rates?

       

      Race in Medicine – April 19, 2018

      Today we explore how topics of race are present in and affect medical training and decision making. “Race isn’t a good category to use… leads researchers down the wrong path and leads to harmful results for patients. For example, black patients who have the symptoms of cystic fibrosis aren’t diagnosed because doctors see it as a white disease.” – Dorothy Roberts, Sociologist and a professor at University of Pennsylvania Africana Studies department.

      Activity Ideas:

      – Interview a doctor on this topic

      – Read an article on Racial Profiling in the Management of Chronic Illness

      – Take “weight” and “race” implicit bias tests here: Implicit Association Tests. Do you believe these tests? How will knowing these biases change the way approach patient care, if at all?

      – If a stereotype applies to your background, how does it make you feel? How is this feeling different from that elicited by a stereotype that does not apply to you?

       

      Health Care of Inmates/Incarceration – April 20, 2018

      In a landmark 1986 case, Estelle v. Gamble, the Supreme Court held that not providing adequate medical care to prisoners was a violation of the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment against cruel and unusual punishment. Learn more about healthcare of inmates.

      Activity Ideas:

      – Check out this TED Talk: Mental Health and Criminal Justice by Crystal Dieleman

      – Read an article on Incarceration, the War on Drugs, and Public Health

      – What are your reflections from this week and what will you do differently from now on, if anything?

      Day One: What is Race? Live Webinar ft. Dr. Sharon Washington View recording here

      Most of us hear about race as a social construct and not a biological one, but rarely do we learn who created this idea. Why? Who does this divisive and unscientific construct benefit and why? How did the idea of race perpetuate after those people were gone? On day one, we will explore these questions in our attempt to create a shared understanding of the meaning and origins of race as a social, historical, and political construct.

      Day Two: The Existence of Disparities Webinar ft. Dr. Theresa Duello View recording here

      History has produced health disparities that disproportionately impact communities of color. This discussion will provide an overview of the social and biological determinants of health disparities as well as the interplay between them.

      Day Three: Race & Racism in Medicine Webinar ft. Dr. Jennifer Edgoose and Dr. Parvathy Pillai View recording here!

      Explore how issues of race, racism, privilege and notions of (white) supremacy are evident in medicine and medical training as well as the physician’s implicit and explicit attitudes about race.

      Day Four: Talking Race, Ethnicity, and Culture

      Today we will think about how to participate in tricky and intimidating conversations around race, ethnicity, and culture as well as how to ACTIVELY raise awareness about these topics.

      Day Five: Call for Action Webinar ft. Luis Perez with Baylor COM View recording here

      Together we will explore action items toward moving our respective schools toward a collective vision of the institution as an anti-racist and ethnically and culturally-sensitive medical school and hospital.

      “Lessons from History: A Look at the Tuskegee Syphilis Study”
      podcast episode from the John Cowley Division of Medical Ethics and Humanities by SUNY Downstate

      Race and Language in Healthcare:The Impact on Quality of Care
      Aswita Tan‐McGrory, MBA, MSPH

      WhiteCoats4BlackLives Step-by-Step Action guide–Set up a meeting with your Dean!

      Follow AMSA REACH on Facebook.

      AMSA
      American Medical Student Association
      Phone: (703) 620-6600
      Fax: (703) 620-6445

      Follow Us

      © 2022, American Medical Student Association, McLean, VA