Racial Bias in Medicine

After the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other black Americans, the American Public Health Association and other leading medical organizations have declared racism as a public health crisis.

As a result, those in medical education began to look inward toward how their systems of training and service could be perpetuating racism and the varied health inequities that physicians are ostensibly working to alleviate.

 

On this week's episode, Rev. Dr. TLC and her guest, Dr. Asia McCleary-Gaddy, will discuss what Dr. McCleary-Gaddy coins as the “3C’s of medical education”; clinical skill, curriculum, and cognition. She will speak on the history and current practice of racial/ethnic corrections in patient assessment, the use of race as a proxy for other social determinants of health in research and teaching, and the cognitive processes of implicit bias and dehumanization in patient perception.

Collectively, these will demonstrate how insidious racism is in healthcare and how we can and must address racism at the individual and institutional level to create an equitable, antiracist environment.

 

Tune in for this important conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.

 

Segment 1

Rev. Dr. TLC begins the show asking her audience to breathe. She begins to discuss her personal experience with racial tension in the medical world. She gave a brief story of visiting her doctor during the height of BLM protest and COVID. She expressed the disconnection her medical profession had for the racial stress she has been undergoing. Rev. Dr. TLC mentioned since the death of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor, public health officials and other leading medical organizations have declared a public health crisis for those experiencing racism. Those in medical education are now finding new ways to train medical professionals that are more racially sensitive and aware. Rev. Dr. TLC introduces her guest Dr. Asia McCleary Gaddy who serves as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at UTHealth. She is also the Assistant Professor of psychiatry at Mcgovern Medical School. Dr. Asia McCleary Gaddy coins the three c of medical education; clinical skills, curriculum, and cognition. Rev. Dr. TLC asks Dr.Gaddy in what ways does she ground herself? Dr. Gaddy talks about her natural love for her work and how much purpose it gives her. She adds after a long day enjoys praying and temporarily turning her mind off with reality television. Before the break, Rev. Dr. TLC and Dr. Gaddy discussed ways Dr. Gaddy inspires young kids who have lost hope. She focuses on showing kids endless possibilities and opportunities with the resources they have.

Segment 2 

Back from the break, Rev. Dr. TLC and her guest Dr. Asia McCleary Gaddy discussed the meaning and significance of the three C’s regarding medical racism. Dr. McCleary Gaddy breaks down the meaning of each cognitive, clinical skills, and curriculum. She connected implicit biases and how it can affect conscious behavior and impact medicine. She discussed medical education history and how racial biases have influenced the industry. She talks about a study conducted in 2016 by Hoffman and colleagues where they asked medical students questions about biological differences between African Americans and Caucasians. Even though these questions were known to be untrue, medical students believed the statistics to be true. For example a question asked, do African Americans age slower than Caucasiasn? More and more medical students believed these myths to be true in high grade levels. Dr. McCleary Gaddy also spoke on literature that is taught in medical schools that teaches cultures to dehumanize African Americans. Before the break Rev. Dr. TLC and Dr. McCleary Gaddy talks how racial biases can affect a patient's diagnosis.

Segment 3

Rev. Dr. TLC and Dr. McCleary Gaddy continues the conversation on racial and health inequities. Dr. McCleary spoke on the health disparities she's noticed. She talks about the common misinformation that is believed in medical school. For example, African Americans are more likely to have asthma or hypertension. She mentions that race is a social construct. Asthmas can’t be a biological factor; it can be a social factor. For example, Dr. McCleary Gaddy spoke about a predominantly black neighborhood that was known for the high number of asthma patients. She stated the connection wasn’t race, it was socioeconomic status. More people living in the community wer