On April 22, over 70 physicians, residents, students, and supporters of family medicine attended the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) live webinar Challenging Race-Based Medicine in Practice. The audience included Academy members from eight states: California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Attendees had an opportunity to understand the origins of race-based medicine, the implications of conflating race with genetic ancestry, identify the racist underpinnings of many commonly practiced treatment plans and diagnosed diseases, and set a plan for meaningful change that will help advance true health equity. Senior Vice President of Equity and Community Health of Massachusetts General Hospital Joseph Betancourt, MD, MDH, addressed each of these topics thoroughly, and OAFP Member Roma Amin, MD, moderated the Q&A session to dive into deeper detail.
When asked about the webinar, OAFP Member Dana Vallangeon, MD, had the following to share:
“I thought it was a fabulous presentation that was well articulated and also extremely thought provoking. I will be looking at calculators and algorithms that we use in medicine in a different way going forward. I will be asking more questions and looking at things more critically to understand if race is part of the formula, calculation, or algorithm. If it is, why? What effect on the answer does that have? If it minimizes or lowers the score/risk in non-white patients, then we need to take it out and not understate the risk. This is harming non-white populations and delaying their referral to more aggressive care or initiation of needed interventions. This is one tangible step in combatting disparities.”
For additional resources on this topic, visit the OAFP website.
For questions about the program, please contact Director Education Erin Jech or call 800.742.7327.
Looking for more programing on health equity and racial justice? Check out the following opportunities from the OAFP:
Health Equity & Social Justice Discussion Club
Expanded from its original, book club discussion format, the new discussion club includes critical social justice issues that fall outside of the focus of race and will alternate between traditional books and a curated collection of virtual content. Each session will take place via Zoom under the guidance of a physician moderator.
The next session will be a discussion of the book In My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies on Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. OAFP Speaker Kathleen Meehan-de la Cruz, MD, FAAFP, will moderate the session. Free registration is open!
For more information, please contact Deputy Executive Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE, or call 800.742.7327.
Limiting Implicit Bias Training
The primary goal of this training on Wednesday, November 3, at the Nationwide Hotel & Conference Center in Lewis Center, OH, is to promote awareness of implicit bias among the entire health care team and to provide resources for mitigating the negative effects of implicit bias on patient care. The core components will include an overview describing what implicit bias is and how it operates, specifically in the health care setting, and tools for self-assessment and strategies that can be used to mitigate biases within the clinic and or health care system. Training activities will include self-assessments, application of skills to case study examples, small group discussions, and the development of an implementation plan.
Registration will open in the fall.
For more information on the training or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Deputy Vice President Kate Mahler, CAE, or call 800.742.7327.