How Can Medical Schools Fix Systemic Issues in Health Care?
By Abdi Mohamed
Minnesota consistently ranks as one of the healthiest states in the nation but as the conversation around racial disparities and social inequities has risen to the forefront, research shows that Minnesota's portrayal as the home to healthy residents only paints half the picture. Census data shows that Minnesota's population is more than 80% white and just 7% Black. Despite this vast difference in population size, Minnesota's Black community is overrepresented in chronic health issues when compared to their white counterparts. Black men in Minnesota have a higher mortality rate from cardiovascular disease than white men. Black women die of breast cancer at a 24% higher rate than white women, although their incidence rates - how frequent a disease occurs in a population - are 22% lower. The difference in health outcomes between white Minnesotans and Minnesotans of color is so pervasive that it can be pinned down to a zip code. These racial disparities in health are not unique to Minnesota, and are indicative of a systemic issue that is plaguing the nation. To address these inequities, university students and faculty at several medical schools have called on their administrations to create programs that address racial inequities that have caused disparities in health, pointing to inequality in care, racial bias among physicians and the lack of representation found in their study material. Making a Change in How Race is Addressed in the Classroom Constructing a racially and culturally inclusive curriculum has become a focal point for medical
schools across the country as the classroom serves as the introduction to medicine for students. What students learn in their first few courses in medical school may influence their practice for years. To change their approach to educating future physicians, the University of Minnesota Medical School recruited Dr. Ana Núñez to head their inaugural office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Dr. Núñez serves as a Vice Dean in the medical school and was brought on after last summer's civil unrest sparked by the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd. The medical school's curriculum has been a focal point in making institutional changes. Knowing this, administrators have brought medical students in on the process to give their input as they work to reconstruct their education. "As we talk about curriculum, what really matters is: What are the student's experiences when they come to us," Dr. Núñez said. "Because that's how you get it right in terms of that engagement piece, because people sitting in a little conference saying, 'This is how we're going to change stuff,' without the voice of the lived folks just never get it right." Medical students like Sally Jeon and Tegan Carr have worked to fix the medical school's approach to education. Both have served as their class DEI officers and are a part of the UMN Medical Education Reform Student Coalition (MERSC) that formed as a response to the police murder of George Floyd.
Members of this coalition met with the medical school's administration, faculty and staff after
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