Purpose: To develop and implement a lecture series about the historical discrimination of minority groups in the United States and how that history informs current health disparities.
Background: June 2020 marked a resurgence of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, calling for acknowledgement and elimination of systemic racism. There was no formal resident curriculum addressing how long-standing social injustices cause ongoing health disparities.
Methods: A monthly virtual lecture series was developed by a resident-led team. The convenience sample of invited lecturers included academicians, clinicians, journalists, and attorneys who self-identify as minorities. Initial lecture announcements were directed to institutional trainees and Ob/Gyn department members. Subsequent lectures were opened to a broader audience and announced via the residency program’s social media accounts and through word of mouth. Post-lecture surveys were administered.
Results: Series development and implementation occurred over two weeks. All lecturers were people of color. To date, there have been 378 lecture registrants from 23 US states, Ireland, and Grenada. These individuals represented 61 unique institutions and included medical students (41.5%), residents (14%), fellows (7.8%), attendings (9.8%), nurses (4.1%), university students (3.9%), and others (18.6%). Post-survey respondents (n=37) reported gaining knowledge (100%) and planning future self-directed learning (91.7%).
Discussions: Resident physicians rapidly developed and successfully implemented a lecture series on the historical context of health disparities. Participants reported knowledge gained and intended behavior change. Future directions include leveraging social media to further expand series participation, evaluating behavior change in response to series participation, and establishing an honoraria budget for lecturers.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2021, Student, Resident, Faculty, Clerkship Director, Clerkship Coordinator, Osteopathic Faculty, Residency Director, Residency Coordinator, Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Professionalism, Systems-Based Practice & Improvement, Interpersonal & Communication Skills, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, GME, CME, UME, Lecture, Advocacy,
Celeste Green, MD, MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill/UNC Health; Matthew Givens, MD; Jessica Morse, MD, MPH; AnnaMarie Connolly, MD
