What does ‘anti-racist’ look like for medical schools?

Lynn Batten, M.D., Felicia Wilson, M.D., and Franklin Trimm, M.D.

Faculty and students at the USA College of Medicine planned and facilitated a workshop for medical educators that explored ways to make the learning environment more welcoming to minority students. Discussions included questions such as: How can microaggressions affect students? How can professors avoid bias in grading? 

The four-hour workshop preceded the virtual annual meeting of the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP), which focused on the theme “Promoting Anti-Racism Through Pediatric Education” on April 6-9.

“When they told us the theme, we decided we would focus on minority students and what specific things we can do for them,” said Lynn Batten, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at USA Health and professor of pediatrics at the USA College of Medicine. Batten also is a member of COMSEP’s Wellness Collaborative.

Sydney Brown and Kasey Grant Andrews

Batten and colleagues from other medical schools including Vanderbilt, New York Langone, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Toronto and others performed a literature review on the topic. Students and faculty including fellow professor Felicia Wilson, M.D., and Franklin Trimm, M.D., associate dean for diversity and inclusion at the USA College of Medicine, volunteered to help with the presentation and work with virtual breakout groups.

“There were things we’ve never thought about before,” Batten said. “For example, in the cases we present to first- and second-year students, are we presenting stereotypes?” The literature review brought up the importance of bias training for faculty, including how it can affect grading, and the need to hire a more diverse faculty that is representative of the population.

Another topic was “microaggressions,” which are daily verbal, behavioral or environmental indignities that communicate hostile or negative attitudes toward marginalized groups. “We looked at how microaggressions can affect how students perform, how they take care of patients and whether they remain in medicine,” Batten said.

Sydney Brown, a second-year medical student at the USA College of Medicine, volunteered to help facilitate small groups. “Prior to the workshop, any microaggression I’ve experienced in the classroom or clinical setting, I attributed that behavior as a characteristic of that person,” said Brown, who is Black. “However, by listening to my group’s experiences, I realized just how important it is to extend grace and to create a dialogue.”

Along with her class, Brown will begin clinical rotations in July. She said it was a relief to learn that clerkship directors are working to create a comfortable environment for all patients, students and colleagues at their respective institutions. “I look forward to being in their shoes and doing the same for future underrepresented minorities in medicine,” she said.

Second-year medical student Kasey Grant Andrews worked behind the scenes preparing material to be presented. Andrews, who is white, said she learned a great deal from the literature review. 

“The numerous articles addressing microaggressions faced by URM groups within educational settings – be it actual things said to them, curriculum material or simply a lack of representation – were astounding and definitely made me reflect on my own wording choices in various interactions,” Andrews said. “Helping to prepare the program gave me insight into challenges my URM colleagues face on a daily basis, how I can better be an ally and, overall, how I can be an anti-racist in my own professional and personal interactions.”