SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Barriers and Facilitators to Teaching Anti-Racism in the Clinical Environment

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This mixed-methods study examined how clinician educators discuss structural racism and implicit bias with learners in clinical settings. Researchers conducted 30-minute semi-structured Zoom interviews with educators from Stanford Medicine and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, then manually transcribed and thematically analyzed the data. Participants also completed a post-interview survey about their anti-racism teaching practices.<br /><br />The study found that many educators recognize that racial bias affects clinical decision-making, but they do not regularly teach this content to trainees. While some participants thought about racial bias frequently in their own practice, fewer reported teaching it often.<br /><br />Two major barriers emerged. First, educators described a lack of content knowledge and confidence, especially feeling unprepared to answer difficult questions. Second, they lacked a structured framework or dedicated curriculum to guide conversations about racism and bias in the clinical environment. Time constraints and competing educational demands were also important obstacles. Some educators noted that high-volume clinical settings leave little room for bedside teaching or reflective discussion.<br /><br />Facilitators included having safe, structured spaces for learners to ask questions and discuss racial issues without fear of judgment. Educators also suggested that repeated teaching experiences, similar to how clinicians become comfortable teaching common medical topics, would increase confidence in anti-racism education.<br /><br />Overall, the authors conclude that improving anti-racism teaching in clinical education will require more than individual motivation. Institutions need to provide structured opportunities, training, and supportive frameworks so clinician educators can confidently integrate discussions of structural racism and implicit bias into routine clinical learning.

Asset Subtitle

Shay Taylor

Meta Tag

Author List Matthew Burke, BA, Samantha Wang, Shay Taylor, Sonoo Thadaney Israni, MBA

Category Research

Concept Structural Racism

Concept Implicit Bias

Concept Anti-Racism Education

Concept Racial Bias

Concept Clinician Educator

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Howard University College of Medicine

Presenting Author Shay Taylor

Track Translating Research into Practice

Keywords

structural racism

implicit bias

clinician educators

anti-racism teaching

clinical education

medical trainees

bias in decision-making

structured curriculum

educator confidence

health equity

Structural Racism

Implicit Bias

Anti-Racism Education

Racial Bias

Clinician Educator