From awareness to action: fostering health justice in medical education through an integrated workshop and resource

Abstract

Background: There is growing concern that biased practices in medical education can contribute to health disparities, however, there is a lack of resources to address these concerns.

Methods: Kern's six steps of curriculum development informed the creation of a toolkit and faculty development workshop to improve the incorporation of DEIAJ (diversity, equity, inclusion, advocacy, and justice) in medical education materials. The authors conducted two 60-min workshops; each consisted of an introductory lecture, case-based activity, and group discussions. Kirkpatrick's Model informed evaluation, including a retrospective pre-post workshop survey.

Results: Twenty-seven participants, primarily medical school faculty members, completed the workshop. Survey respondents demonstrated increases in their self-rated views on the importance of DEIAJ in medical education and their comfort level in editing curricular materials.

Conclusions: This workshop and toolkit represent promising interventions aimed at fostering enhanced capacities and comfort regarding DEIAJ topics in medical education.

Keywords: Education, medical; equity, diversity, and inclusion; faculty, medical; social justice.