August 31, 2022-October 19, 2022
6 sessions
Course Director
Alaina James, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Dermatology
jamesaj@upmc.edu
Course Goal
In this course, learners will come to appreciate and understand the history and structure of systemic racism; its effects on healthcare delivery, the science of medicine, and medical education; and strategies to address racism and its effects.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand the history of racism in medicine, in realms of research, clinical care, and education.
- Critically examine the impact of the use of race to signal important biologic differences in medicine
- Discuss racism and its impact on health outcomes
- Describe societal structures which limit access to healthcare for minoritized individuals
- Explore the impact of racism on access to medical education and the demographics of the physician workforce
- Utilize our skills as physicians to mitigate the effects of structural racism in medicine
Educational Methods
- Short, large-group 30-minute introductory lectures
- Small group facilitated debrief/discussion of the day’s topic
- Reflective writing as the primary assessment tool
Evaluation
This course is Pass/Fail. Attendance is REQUIRED, and students can have no more than one unexcused absence.
60% of the grade is determined by the brief weekly write-ups on given prompts. The remaining 40% will be based on a final written reflection. This will be a two-page written reflection on the student's experience during the course and how it will inform their practice of medicine.