Resolution: F-20-17: ADVOCATING FOR THE INCLUSION OF THE HISTORY OF RACIAL INJUSTICES WITHIN MEDICINE IN OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL SCHOOL CURRICULA

[Valerie Lile]

1  WHEREAS, medical mistrust has been shown to be a contributing factor in the lower rates of
2  health screenings amongst African American patients compared to Caucasians^1,2,16,17, and
3  WHEREAS, medical studies have provided evidence of medical school students holding long
4  held, unfounded, and false beliefs, believed to be derived from the period of slavery in the
5  United States, about African American patients that impact medical judgement⁴, and
6  WHEREAS, a study has shown that African American Women of childbearing age and seeking
7  Prenatal care, favor medical providers that appear to have a greater understanding of the context
8  of their lives, which was implicated in potentially impacting birth outcomes among African
9  American women¹³, and
10  WHEREAS, in a study published in the Journal of The National Medical Association, both
11  personal and historical experiences with racism within healthcare have been implicated as one of
12  the barriers that cause elderly Black patients to not receive pneumococcal and influenza
13  vaccinations⁹, and
14  WHEREAS, incorporating this history into medical school curriculums may increase empathy
15  in future physicians and improve clinician-patient interpersonal interactions among new
16  generation of providers^8,13, and
17  WHEREAS, we acknowledge the need for an increased number of physicians to practice in
18  underserved communities and incorporating this history into medical school curriculums may
19  influence students to practice in traditionally underserved environments, and
20  WHEREAS, understanding this history may create opportunities for medical practitioners and
21  researchers to further study how best to combat beliefs among African American communities
22  about medical research and vaccinations, and perceived discrimination¹⁶, and
23  WHEREAS, absence of this information from the standard education of medical school students
24  may create future physicians that are ignorant to this valuable history, and
25  WHEREAS, absence of this information from the standard education of medical school students
26  may create a false attitude of patient responsibility towards African American patients among
27  future providers, and
28  WHEREAS, including this history into medical school curricula will add the correct context to
29  certain medical disparities as taught to medical students, now therefore, be it
30  RESOLVED, that Student Osteopathic Medical Association work with Student Government
31  Association representatives to promote inclusion of the history of racial injustices within
1  medicine in the curricula of osteopathic medical schools within the United States; and, be it
2  further
3  RESOLVED, that Student Osteopathic Medical Association lobby COCA through its student
4  representative to evaluate the curricula of osteopathic medical schools within the United States
5  for their inclusion of the history of racial injustices within medicine; and, be it further
6  RESOLVED, that Student Osteopathic Medical Association acknowledge that historical racial
7  injustices in healthcare have an impact on current medical disparities that negatively affect
8  African American communities; and, be it further
9  RESOLVED, that Student Osteopathic Medical Association recommend for American
10  Osteopathic Association to acknowledge that historical racial injustices in healthcare have an
11  impact on current medical disparities that negatively affect African American communities and
12  the importance of osteopathic medical students to be educated on this history.

References:

1. Armstrong K, Ravenell KL, McMurphy S, Putt M. Racial/ethnic differences in physician distrust in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(7):1283-1289. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.080762
2. Boulware LE, Cooper LA, Ratner LE, LaVeist TA, Powe NR. Race and trust in the health care system. Public Health Rep. 2003;118(4):358-365. doi:10.1093/phr/118.4.358
3. Cobbinah SS, Lewis J. Racism & Health: A public health perspective on racial discrimination. J Eval Clin Pract. 2018;24(5):995-998. doi:10.1111/jep.12894
4. Dennery PA. Training and retaining of underrepresented minority physician scientists – an African-American perspective: NICHD AAP workshop on research in neonatal and perinatal medicine. J Perinatol. 2006;26 Suppl 2:S46-S48. doi:10.1038/sj.jp.7211525
5. Dogra, Nisha BM; Karnik, Niranjan MD First-Year Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Diversity and its Teaching: An Investigation at One U.S. Medical School, Academic Medicine: November 2003 – Volume 78 – Issue 11 – p 1191-1200
6. Feagin J, Bennefield Z. Systemic racism and U.S. health care. Soc Sci Med. 2014;103:7- 14. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.09.006
7. Fiscella K, Sanders MR. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Quality of Health Care. Annu Rev Public Health. 2016;37:375-394. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032315-021439
8. Ford CL, Airhihenbuwa CO. Critical Race Theory, race equity, and public health: toward antiracism praxis. Am J Public Health. 2010;100 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S30-S35. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.171058
9. Harris LM, Chin NP, Fiscella K, Humiston S. Barrier to pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations in Black elderly communities: mistrust. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006;98(10):1678-1684. MLA
10. Hoffman KM, Trawalter S, Axt JR, Oliver MN. Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(16):4296-4301. doi:10.1073/pnas.1516047113
11. Lett LA, Murdock HM, Orji WU, Aysola J, Sebro R. Trends in Racial/Ethnic Representation Among US Medical Students. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(9):e1910490. Published 2019 Sep 4. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.10490
12. Like RC. Educating clinicians about cultural competence and disparities in health and health care. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2011;31(3):196-206. doi:10.1002/chp.20127
13. Lori JR, Yi CH, Martyn KK. Provider characteristics desired by African American women in prenatal care. J Transcult Nurs. 2011;22(1):71-76. doi:10.1177/1043659610387149
14. Kristofco RE, Stewart AJ, Vega W. Perspectives on disparities in depression care [published correction appears in J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2008 Summer;28(3):195-6]. J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2007;27 Suppl 1:S18-S25. doi:10.1002/chp.131
15. Morales, R., Rodriguez, L., Singh, A. et al. National Survey of Medical Spanish Curriculum in U.S. Medical Schools. J GEN INTERN MED 30, 1434–1439 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3309-3
16. Quinn SC. African American adults and seasonal influenza vaccination: Changing our approach can move the needle. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2018;14(3):719-723. doi:10.1080/21645515.2017.1376152
17. Wizdom Powell, Jennifer Richmond, Dinushika Mohottige, Irene Yen, Allison Joslyn & Giselle Corbie-Smith (2019) Medical Mistrust, Racism, and Delays in Preventive Health Screening Among African-American Men, Behavioral Medicine, 45:2, 102-117, DOI: 10.1080/08964289.2019.1585327

Submitted by:

Jefferey Blair, OMS III – Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
Marwah Ahmad, OMS III – Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine

 Action Taken:
Date:
Effective Time Period: Ongoing

[Author]

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