Blackface in White Space: Using Admissions to Address Racism in Medical Education
Nientara Anderson, BA, MHS, MD , Dowin Boatright, MD, MBA, MHS, and Anna Reisman, MD
Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry, 300 George Street, Suite 901, New Haven, CT, USA.
Given the long history and pervasive nature of racism in medical culture, this essay argues that diversifying efforts alone cannot address systemic racism in medical educa- tion. Positive affirmation of anti-racist values and racial consciousness in the admissions process is necessary to create a truly inclusive culture in medical education and begin to undo centuries of racial prejudice in medicine. Drawing from historic examples, scholarship on the soci- ology of racialized space, recent research on race and medical education, and personal experience, we propose that medical educational institutions make a more con- certed effort to consider racial attitudes and awareness as part of the admissions process as well as curricular re- form efforts. We also provide examples of potential ways to practically implement this proposal in the admissions process.
