Join clinical experts, thought leaders, and advocates for a collaborative discussion on the issues of health disparities, structural racism, and medicine as we examine specific dermatologic diseases in a series of four free and open educational webinars.
Implicit bias and structural racism play a central role in the development of health care disparities. One of the critically important areas in medicine is the misdiagnosis of disease in people with darker skin types due to implicit bias and the lack of awareness among physicians in recognizing the disease pattern. Clinicians in primary care, emergency medicine, hospital medicine, surgery, pediatrics, and other medical specialties can deliver improved care if they can recognize and diagnose medical conditions based on skin findings in patients of color. This four-part series aims to improve diagnosis in people of color, describe pathogenesis and treatment of diseases, develop cultural competency, and impact change in health care policy so more is done to reduce racial bias in medical practice and medical research. Providing this education, in turn, will ultimately help reduce health disparities and improve the lives of underrepresented minority populations.
Disparities in health care exist because of socioeconomic factors, structural racism, and implicit bias. Panelists will identify the problems and discuss what solutions are in place that could improve health disparities such as medical education, more training for underrepresented minority physicians, more funding for research, and fast-tracking publication of research. Furthermore, panelists will explore how the field of dermatology and other medical specialties can address these issues.
Upon completion of this webinar you will be able to:
1 Illustrate how health disparities and structural racism historically manifest in health education, diagnosis and treatment, and research.
2 Summarize solutions and methods to improve health disparities such as medical education, more training for underrepresented minority physicians, more funding for research, and fast-tracking research publications.
3 Identify innovative programs in the field of dermatology and other medical specialties that are successfully addressing these issues.
4 Discuss the need for more scientific research in skin of color, the benefits of diversifying researchers, and ways to encourage people of color and physicians of color to participate in research trials.
Moderator: Susan Saulny
Panelists: Susan C. Taylor, MD, Henry W. Lim, MD, and Maritza I. Perez, MD
