Do No Harm: Racism in Patient Care

Examples of bias in the delivery of health care are rampant. In this episode of “Beyond the White Coat,” AAMC Senior Director of Health Equity Partnerships and Programs Malika Fair, MD, MPH, speaks with Laura Guidry-Grimes, PhD; Brian Gittens, EdD; Carol Major, MD; and Charles Vega, MD, to explore how academic medicine can move toward more equitable care for all and to dive deeper into how we prepare and train the physicians of tomorrow to be allies for everyone.

Episode Guests:

• Carol Major, MD, is a UCI Health obstetrician who specializes in maternal-fetal medicine and high-risk pregnancies. Major is the co-founder of Leadership Education to Advance Diversity–African, Black and Caribbean, a University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine mission-based program aimed at producing future physicians who are committed to addressing the health needs of African, Black, and Caribbean communities in California, the United States, and beyond.
• Charles Vega, MD, is a professor of family medicine at the UC Irvine School of Medicine and the director of the Program in Medical Education for the Latino Community, a mission-based, dual-degree program intended to address the needs of underserved Latino communities.
• Laura Guidry-Grimes, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Medical Humanities and Bioethics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Guidry-Grimes received her doctorate in philosophy at Georgetown University. She has worked for over five years as a clinical ethics consultant at multiple hospitals. Along with her consult work, Guidry-Grimes is interested in disability bioethics, ethics of psychiatry, and determining how best to understand vulnerability in health care.
• Brian Gittens, EdD, is the vice chancellor of diversity, equity, and inclusion at the UAMS. Gittens specializes in strategic diversity and inclusion, organizational and leadership development, organizational assessment and analysis, change management, and talent management in support of optimizing organizational performance and quality initiatives. Gittens has successfully led and collaborated on the design and implementation of organization wide diversity and inclusion initiatives, organizational development programs, and competency assessments.

Credits:

• Hosted by Malika Fair, MD, MPH, AAMC senior director of health equity partnerships and programs.
• Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC director of digital strategy and engagement.
• Recorded by Sholape Oriola, AAMC video specialist.
• Edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.
• With special contributions from Kathy Gambrell, AAMC senior digital content strategist; Michelle Zajac, AAMC digital copy editor; and Bridget Balch, AAMC staff writer.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

• AAMC Racism and Health Resources
• “New Poll Shows Black Americans See a Racist Health Care System Setting the Stage for Pandemic’s Impact,” The Undefeated, October 2020
• “Racism and Discrimination in Health Care: Providers and Patients,” Harvard Health Blog, updated July 9, 2020
• “A New Hippocratic Oath Asks Doctors To Fight Racial Injustice And Misinformation,” NPR, Nov. 4, 2020
• “How Medical Education Can Help Fight Racism,” Modern Healthcare, Aug. 29, 2020
• “Op-Ed: Diversity Is the Answer to Disparities in Healthcare,” Medpage Today, Aug. 24, 2020
• “Is COVID-19 Making Black Birth More Complicated?,” CBS News, Aug. 10, 2020
• “UCI Podcast: How the LEAD-ABC Program Gives Black Medical Students a ‘Powerful’ Voice,” UCI News, June 16, 2020
• More From the “Beyond the White Coat” Podcast