In this 1-minute video, Dr. Quinn Capers IV, a leader on EDI in academic medicine and Associate Dean for Faculty Diversity at University of Texas Southwestern, formerly of Ohio State University, explains why diversity in medicine is important
A 2003 Institute of Medicine report on racial and ethnic disparities in health care highlighted that racial and ethnic minority patients receive lower quality care, and that increasing participation of underrepresented in medicine (UIM) individuals as health care providers can substantially improve equity in care for people who are racial or ethnic minorities.
A 2014 JAMA Internal Medicine study demonstrated that nonwhite physicians provide a disproportionate share of care to underserved populations, and concluded that increasing racial and ethnic diversity of the physician workforce may help decrease health disparities.
The New England Journal of Medicine has published numerous articles highlighting racism in healthcare including a 2019 article presenting a case study in structural racism; Stolen Breaths, a 2020 Perspectives piece following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police; and a 2020 editorial examining physicians' roles in diagnosing and treating systemic racism.
This 2019 New York Times Magazine article discusses how myths about physical racial differences used to justify slavery are still believed by physicians today.
There is now a systematic effort to cultivate a more diverse healthcare work force, and recruitment frameworks have been proposed.
This 2021 CMAJ commentary explicitly highlights anti-Black racism as a "specific form of racism, rooted in the history and experience of enslavement" and advocates that "medicine can no longer deny or overlook the existence of systemic anti-Black racism in Canada and how it affects the health of Black people and communities [...] An easy step is to pay attention to the conversations Black people are having in our communities, including patients and health care professionals."
This 2011 Institute of Medicine report highlights unique health disparities among LGBTQ individuals.
This 2018 NEJM Perspectives piece reviews gaps in care for persons of non-binary gender, while another calls for greater education for all clinicians about the needs of sexual and gender minority patients.
This 2020 Associated Press news article and this 2018 New York Times article also review health disparities for LGBTQ individuals.
In recognizing broader social movements and events, Canadian medical organizations and academic institutions have adopted new formal EDI policies, such as the Canadian Medical Association in March 2020.
A July 2020 Global News piece and a July 2020 Healthy Debate article highlight challenges with systemic racism in Canadian health care. A December 2020 Healthy Debate article examines gender inequities in medical leadership.
Health disparities among Indigenous peoples in Canada are discussed in this National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health report.
Racial disparities of COVID-19 have been highlighted in numerous articles in the NEJM, CDC, and in Canada by the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on LGBTQ communities are explored here by Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for LGBTQ rights.
This AAMC opinion piece discusses also how the rise in telemedicine threatens to worsen health inequities.
Hear diverse perspectives on health equity, from trailblazers to current advocates, whose work is driven by the mission to address the root causes of health inequity and the social determinants of health in this 1-hour video from the American Medical Association