VP, Clinical Consulting Calibrate Sammamish, Washington
With educational, employment, economic, and health inequities continuously running rampant, healthcare professionals must understand the intersection of identity and (un)conscious bias. Society largely frowns upon conscious bias but has not grappled with other long-term effects of systematic discrimination and oppression, notably that of unconscious bias. While we understand that consciously withholding medical treatment based on people’s racial and ethnic demographics is unethical, to say the least (i.e., the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male conducted by the United States Public Health Service), we have not fully understood that unconsciously, we could be contributing to racial health disparities that exist. It is time for this to change.
In this engaging session, participants will examine how discrimination and oppression in the United States has led to racial health disparities. Reviewing videos and research, and using critical reflection and dialogue, participants will identify ways to advance racial health equity.
Learning Objectives::
At the completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
Explain the concepts of racism, ethnocentrism, conscious and unconscious bias.
Recognize the impact of laws and policies on health and wellness.
Identify how biases affect decision-making processes in healthcare.
Using a case example, identify and discuss appropriate responses to bias when it occurs in healthcare.