Conclusion
Beyond calling out microaggressions in real time, we must also interrogate the biases, policies, and practices that support them in medicine and beyond. As Black gastroenterologists who have experienced microaggressions and overt acts of racism, we ground Oviea’s experience in structural racism and offer strategies that individuals, organizations, and governing institutions can adopt toward an antiracist future. This model can be applied to experiences rooted in misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, ableism, and other prejudices.
As a nation, we must make an active and collective choice to address structural racism. In health care, doing so will strengthen communities, enhance the lived experiences of URM physician colleagues, and save patient lives. Gastroenterologists, as trusted health care providers, are uniquely positioned to lead the way.
Dr. Akpotaire is a second-year GI fellow in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. Issaka is an assistant professor with both the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, and the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington.
References
1. Blackstock U. “Why Black doctors like me are leaving faculty positions in academic medical centers.” STAT News, 2020.
2. Asare JG. “One Doctor Shares Her Story of Racism in Medicine.” Forbes. 2021 Feb 1.
3. Kroman D. “Revered doctor steps down, accusing Seattle Children’s Hospital of racism.” Crosscut. 2020 Dec 31.
4. United States District Court Eastern District of Louisiana. Princess Dennar, M.D. v. The Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, 2020.
5. Sue DW. Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2010.
6. Boyd RW. Lancet. 2019 Jun 22;393(10190):2484-5.
7. AAMC. Diversity in Medicine Facts and Figures 2019. Washington, D.C., 2019.
8. Overland MK et al. PM R. 2019 Sep;11(9):1004-12.
9. Jones CP. Ethn Dis. 2018 Aug 9;28(Suppl 1):231-4.
10. Hlavinka E. “Racial Bias in Flexner Report Permeates Medical Education Today.” Medpage Today. 2020 Jun 18.
11. Flexner A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada. New York: 1910. Republished: Bull World Health Organ. 2002;80(7):594-602.
12. Campbell KM et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2015220.
13. Malat J et al. Soc Sci Med. 2018 Feb;199:148-56.
14. Kendi IX. How to be an antiracist. New York: Random House Books, 2019.
15. Gray DM 2nd et al. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020 Oct;17(10):589-90.
16. Vyas DA et al. N Engl J Med. 2020 Aug 27;383(9):874-82.
17. Green CR et al. J Natl Med Assoc. 2018 Feb;110(1):37-43.
18. Jones CP. Am J Public Health. 2000 Aug;90(8):1212-5.
19. Anyane-Yeboa A et al. Am J Gastroenterol. 2020 Aug;115(8):1147-9.
20. Issaka RB. JAMA. 2020 Aug 11;324(6):556-7.
21. Biden JR. Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. Washington, D.C.: The White House, 2021.
