Since 2015, medical students from Philadelphia and New Jersey have joined in a collaborative effort to host the Racism in Medicine Conference (RiMC) to change the current healthcare narrative and address the issues of racism and discrimination within the medical community. Currently in its 6th consecutive year, the students of Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine are continuing the fight and striving to better the culture of medicine in our society. The RiMC is intersectional and action-oriented, focused on hosting sessions to create salient and realistic solutions to racial disparities in treatment, health outcomes, and insurance. Following a day of keynote speakers, workshops, and a community organization expo, we hope to leave a lasting impression on the attendees with a moving spoken word piece done by a local member of our community. In the end, we hope that the Racism in Medicine Conference becomes a longstanding tradition between the schools that will help educate not just our students, but the students, professionals, and stakeholders who all play a part in the health of our communities.
In the 2020 conference, we hope to focus more on creating actionable change against racism and oppression in medicine. We hope to work with community partners and community members to identify the wants and needs of marginalized communities so as to take immediate and meaningful action as students and be equipped to take action in the future as health professionals. Furthermore, we suggest that sustainability, an ongoing recognition and collection of conference history, and accessibility be added to the above goals.
Voices: We affirm that every attempt will be made for this conference to be a safe space for students and community members to share stories about their experiences of racism in medicine. We hope for this to be not only cathartic, but also generative of ideas to actively fight racism and work toward health equity.