Overcoming Hurdles
Dr. Shannon Fayson presenting on Health Equity Advocacy, along with Dr. David J. Brown, at University of Michigan’s Virtual Subinternship on June 13, 2020. Photo by Ramsha Akhund.
There are many barriers to combating racism and promoting inclusion in the medical community that also affect otolaryngology. One issue is that racist policies and procedures have become so ingrained in systems that they can be challenging to undo, Dr. Chadwick said. The best way to overcome this problem is for leaders to actively make a dedicated effort to evaluate potentially biased policies and replace them with more inclusive ones.
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October 2020Dr. Yoshikawa believes that well-intentioned people are often paralyzed by the fear of saying the wrong thing or offending the person they want to help. “We 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,” she said. “If we allow ourselves to stay quiet, then we allow racism to continue.”
The bottom line is that combating racism takes an incredible amount of courage, tenacity, empathy, and innovation. “Some people won’t want to speak up because it will disturb the peace or they may feel inadequate to fight for justice because they cannot fully relate to the barriers minorities have to overcome,” Dr. Fayson said. “Whatever the hurdle may be, keep fighting for equity. You’ll make people uncomfortable when combating racism, but real growth occurs when individuals are pushed outside of their comfort zones.”
Karen Appold is a freelance medical writer based in Pennsylvania.
Initiating Anti-Racism Efforts
How do you begin anti-racism initiatives at your own facility or practice? Otolaryngologists offer some advice.
Identify and Evaluate. The first step in combating racism is to identify it, said Keith A. Chadwick, MD, MS, an assistant professor in the department of surgery, division of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y. “The best way to do that is for institutions to offer mandatory training and workshops in bias, privilege, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and allyship,” he said. “However, it’s also important that institutional leaders evaluate their policies and procedures to determine what systemic barriers exist that prevent all groups from being equally represented and recognized. It may be worthwhile to examine other institutions that have had success in diversity efforts and adopt some of the same policies and principles.”