Reflections on the Intersection of Student Activism and Structural Competency Training in a New Medical School Curriculum

Donald, Cameron; Fernández, Fabián; Hsiang, Elaine; Mesina, Omar; Rosenwohl-Mack, Sarah; Medeiros, Aimee; Knight, Kelly R.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-10525-9_4

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…Although these courses represent a commitment by the UCSF School of Medicine to prioritize social science and public health, student activists continue to advocate improvements in the quality of the curricula and challenge the confinement of race-related topics to discrete blocks. 34 Seeking to improve content and pedagogy and to facilitate conversations about race, students led an effort, in 2017-2018, to review the Health and the Individual course. The review yielded strategies to increase the rigor of the curriculum, including the following:…”

Section: Developing New Curriculamentioning

confidence: 99%

Student-Led Efforts to Advance Anti-Racist Medical Education

et al. 2021

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Over the past decade, medical schools across the United States have increasingly dedicated resources to advancing racial and social justice, such as by supporting diversity and inclusion efforts and by incorporating social medicine into the traditional medical curricula. While these changes are promising, the academic medicine community must apply an anti-racist lens to every aspect of medical education to equip trainees to recognize and address structural inequities. Notably, organizing and scholarly work led by medical students has been critical in advancing anti-racist curricula. In this article, the authors illustrate how student activism has reshaped medical education by highlighting examples of student-led efforts to advance anti-racist curricula at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. HMS students collaborated with faculty to address aspects of existing clinical practice that perpetuate racism, such as the racial correction factor in determining kidney function. They also responded to the existing curricula by noting missed opportunities to discuss structural racism, and they planned supplemental sessions to address these gaps. At UCSF, students identified specific avenues to improve the rigor of social medicine courses and developed new curricula to equip students with skills to confront and work to dismantle racism. The authors describe how HMS students, in an effort to improve the learning environment, developed a workshop to assist students in navigating microaggressions and discrimination in the clinical setting. At UCSF, students partnered with faculty and administration to advocate pass/fail grading for clerkships after university data revealed racial disparities in students' clerkship assessments. In reviewing these examples of students' advocacy to improve their own curricula and learning environments, the authors aim to provide support for students and faculty pursuing anti-racist curricular changes at their own institutions.

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Section: Developing New Curriculamentioning

confidence: 99%

Student-Led Efforts to Advance Anti-Racist Medical Education

et al. 2021

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Structural Competency of Pre-health Students: Can a Single Course Lead to Meaningful Change?

et al. 2020

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The impact of a student-led anti-racism programme on medical students’ perceptions and awareness of racial bias in medicine and confidence to advocate against racism

Lynn¹,

D'Urzo²,

Vaughan-Ogunlusi³

et al. 2023

Medical Education Online

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Introduction Systemic racism impacts personal and community health; however, education regarding its role in perpetuating healthcare inequity remains limited in medical curricula. This study implemented and evaluated the impact of a student-led anti-racism programme on medical students’ perceptions of racial bias in medicine, awareness of, and confidence to advocate against racism in medicine. Method A total of 543 early stage medical students were invited to participate in the programme. Participants were assigned readings and videos exploring racial injustice in medicine and attended a virtual small-group discussion facilitated by faculty and students. Online surveys were used to collect pre- and post-programme data using Likert scales for response items. Open-ended questions were independently reviewed by three authors using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Sixty-three early-stage medical students enrolled in the programme, of which 42 completed the pre-programme survey. There was a 76% ( n = 32) response rate for the post-programme survey. The majority of students (60%, n = 25) had no previous education about racism in medicine. From pre- to post-programme, there was a significant change in students’ perceived definition of race from genetic, biological, geographical, and cultural factors to socio-political factors ( P < 0.0001). Significant increases in almost all factors assessing student awareness of racism and confidence to advocate against racism were observed. Student-identified barriers to discussing racism included lack of education and lived experience, fear of starting conflict and offending others. All survey respondents would recommend this programme to peers and 69% ( n = 32) engaged in further topical self-directed education. Conclusion This simple and reproducible programme improved awareness and confidence to advocate against racism in medicine and resulted in a change in opinion regarding race-based medical practice. These findings are in line with best practice towards addressing racial bias in medicine, decolonizing medical curricula and strengthening anti-racism teaching of future physicians.

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Reflections on the Intersection of Student Activism and Structural Competency Training in a New Medical School Curriculum

Cited by 6 publications

References 8 publications

Student-Led Efforts to Advance Anti-Racist Medical Education

Student-Led Efforts to Advance Anti-Racist Medical Education

Structural Competency of Pre-health Students: Can a Single Course Lead to Meaningful Change?

The impact of a student-led anti-racism programme on medical students’ perceptions and awareness of racial bias in medicine and confidence to advocate against racism

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