Many trafficked persons receive medical care in the Emergency Department (ED); however, ED staff have historically not been educated about human trafficking. In this article, we describe interventions aimed to train ED providers on the issue of trafficking. We performed a scoping review of the existing literature and found 17 studies that describe such interventions: 14 trainings implemented in the ED, two taught at conferences for ED providers, and one assessing a state-mandated training. These studies demonstrate that even brief education can improve provider confidence in screening and treating patients that experienced trafficking. We advocate for interventions to promote a team-based approach specific to the ED setting, acknowledge the importance of survivors’ input on curriculum development, and assess outcomes using pre- and post-surveys.

The national struggles for social justice that have dominated headlines since 2020 are reflected in the challenges academic health centers are confronting as they strive to become more antiracist. One of the largest challenges for these institutions may be the inertia of the status quo. While faculty may have become accustomed to a status quo that perpetuates inequity, students provide perspectives that can disrupt this inertia and lead to positive change. Students, however, face barriers to antiracist work, including power gradients (i.e., different amounts of power people possess according to their position in a hierarchy) and a need to be accepted as part of the physician profession. In this article, the authors examine these challenges to student antiracist advocacy. They identify student empowerment, faculty allyship, and sustainability as essential principles for student antiracist work. They suggest this work could be operationalized through sequential student-led task forces focused on addressing the most pressing antiracist issues. The authors further recommend an approach to professionalism and development of a physician professional identity based on the values of antiracism rather than on existing norms. With this foundation, students may be able to engage in antiracist work, build professional identities that are more antiracist, and become physicians who can ensure a more just health care environment for their patients and communities.