Structural Racism and Health Profession’s Education
Join the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at the George Washington University for this annual event that convenes stakeholders, policymakers, scholars, and the public on important and edgy topics relating to health disparities, equity, and the workforce. Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School, will deliver the keynote address "Race and Access to Higher Education."
Longstanding racial inequities exposed by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement contributed to the decision to focus this year’s summit on priorities and strategies to increase diversity in the health workforce. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Latinx communities illustrates the significance that structural factors, including those within health systems, have on health outcomes. A health workforce more representative of the U.S. population can help to reduce health disparities by increasing access to care and improving outcomes. Training and working alongside a diverse workforce improves the cultural competence of all providers and prepares them to respond to the needs of the entire population. Opportunities for satisfying and well-paying careers is also a step toward achieving health workforce equity; yet, Black and Latinx workers remain concentrated in entry-level, low-paying fields and underrepresented in health professions requiring advanced degrees.
The overall goal of this Summit is to identify barriers to increasing diversity in health professions and actions to address those barriers.