We are looking for a new co-director for the multidisciplinary Racial Equity in Medicine elective. Over the past several years, the course has been led by Cedric Bright, MD, and Sam Cykert, MD, from the School of Medicine, and Carmen Gutierrez, PhD, from UNC’s Department of Public Policy. While this position does not come with financial compensation, it gives faculty an important and focused opportunity to teach students.
This MS2 elective, Racial Equity in Medicine (OMED 404) is designed to give students in the UNC School of Medicine an opportunity to learn about structural racism and its manifestation in the health care system. The course begins will a mandatory 2-day intensive Phase I workshop provided by the Racial Equity Institute, which provides students with an understanding of institutional racism that is essential to the course. Throughout the semester, the course directors foster group discussions on structural racism related to health and healthcare and encourage students to consider approaches utilizing system-based measures and solutions.
Based on this understanding, students devise group projects that aim to dismantle racially biased systems built into their own institution. In addition to their projects, students will engage with occasional readings as well as hear from faculty within the UNC system who are undertaking work to dismantle structural manifestations of racism in health care.
Dr. Gutierrez will be responsible for the administrative functions of the course including maintenance of the Saki site and the steps involved in progression of the student projects. After the initial Racial Equity Institute workshop, there will be nine, 90-minute sessions from August to December that involve project updates and guest sessions described above. It is expected that course leaders who are selected to partner with Dr. Gutierrez will attend at least 4 or 5 of these sessions and help frame discussions while providing mentorship and advice to participating students.
Course objectives include:
- Provide an intersectional framework for understanding, confronting, and working to correct
institutional racism within the medical school and the broader medical community and
healthcare system.
- Equip students with an understanding of the history, construction, and perpetuation of
structural racism in America, particularly how these pertain to social determinants of health.
- Give students the information and skills they need to engage in dialogue about racism in
medicine and become leaders who advocate for racial equity in our school, communities, and workplaces.
If interested in working with students who are beginning their journey as dedicated leaders for racial health equity, please send an email to Sam Cykert (samuel_cykert@med.unc.edu) by April 26.