These Are Some of the Anti-Racism Initiatives Leaders in Medicine Are Undertaking

by Karen Appold •

  • De-escalating the systems-wide use of the New York Police Department’s police force.
  • Making anti-bias training mandatory for all faculty and staff.
  • Encouraging departments to lead their own workshops on fostering anti-racism and diversity, and creating a sense of belonging.
  • Strengthening the Office of Diversity and Inclusion by appointing an administrative director.
  • Starting an anti-racism student task force to enact changes in the medical education system.
  • Appointing diversity champions and requiring annual diversity effort reports for all academic departments.
  • Increasing recruitment efforts of underrepresented faculty and trainees through new policies and action plans in hiring and promotional efforts.

The DEI committee at the University of Michigan meets once monthly to offer a safe space to share personal experiences, educational resources, and DEI initiatives to help combat racism, support health equity, and support inclusion within the otolaryngology community, Dr. Fayson said. In addition, Michigan Medicine’s Office for Health Equity and Inclusion and the Graduate Medical Education Office launched a Healthcare Equity and Quality Scholars Program for trainees last summer. The 14-month program addresses cultural humility and social determinants of health as well as foundational instruction on quality improvement.

The otolaryngology community at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Conn., has participated in various institutional initiatives whose primary objectives are to increase representation of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URIMs), said Kourosh Parham, MD, PhD, professor and residency program director in the department of surgery, division of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. For example, for nearly two decades, UConn’s Health Career Opportunity Programs (www.health.uconn.edu/hcop/) have served as a continuous pipeline for middle school, high school, and college students of diverse backgrounds to become future doctors, dentists, and health professionals.

Noriko Yoshikawa, MDWe will make mistakes, and when we do, we have to be open to feedback, even if it stings, and make earnest efforts to do better. If we allow ourselves to stay quiet, then we allow racism to continue. —Noriko Yoshikawa, MD

Otolaryngology faculty have been active participants, offering mentorship in the clinics, operating room, and research laboratories. The UConn School of Medicine has been recognized by US News & World Report for its success as one of the top 10 medical schools with the most African-American students. This success extends to graduate medical education, where nearly 13% of residents and fellows are URIMs. Traditionally, the otolaryngology residency program has had an excellent balance in male/female representation, with LGBT, multiple ethnic groups, and five religions also represented. To increase URIM representation, the otolaryngology program has been active in undergraduate education through the creation of an interest group and engagement with local chapters of the Student National Medical Association and Latino Medical Student Association.

In another initiative, Dr. Esianor and a few other residents organized a virtual introduction to the otolaryngology specialty geared toward minority students, collaborating with institutions nationwide to teach these students about what the specialty has to offer and why they should consider it. The event, which drew 120 medical students, was a success thanks to collaboration among residents across the country and advertising on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. “It was helpful for medical students to see people who look like them working in the ENT field,” he said. “It solidifies for them that they, too, can one day be in our position.”