86. EXPLORING STRUCTURAL RACISM & HEALTH DISPARITIES: AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Background There are few examples of residency curriculum addressing structural racism and social justice. Grounded in critical consciousness, experiential and sociocultural learning theories, UCSF faculty developed an immersive travel experience in which 27 faculty and residents spent four days visiting historical civil rights sites meeting with community leaders in Tuskegee, Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham, AL, and Atlanta, GA. Participants engaged in discussion and critical reflection to deepen their understanding of structural racism and increase their capacity to disrupt it in their professional practice Objective: Describe the impact of an immersive travel experience on participants in five core areas: cultural humility, resilience, structural competency, recognizing and disrupting systems of oppression, and adaptive leadership. Methods We used mixed methods end-of-trip and post trip surveys to understand short- and long-term impacts of the trip. Results 96% of participants completed the end of week survey. 72% of respondents felt the trip contributed greatly to the recognition of the history and knowledge that communities bring to health and wellness. 84% felt learning directly from local leaders contributed greatly to their understanding of structural racism. 92% felt being in the physical places that memorialize people and events contributed greatly to their understanding of structural racism. 92% felt the trip contributed greatly to strengthening their practice of cultural humility. 80% of participants reported they would be extremely likely to recommend participation to a friend of colleague. Conclusions Overall, the trip met its stated learning goals, and was especially effective in teaching residents about cultural humility and in increasing participants’ knowledge and understanding of structural racism. The trip was a transformational experience for many, and revealed a number of important lessons about immersive learning experiences, including acknowledging the ability to sit with discomfort, the importance of creating in the moment spaces for healing, and accounting for the extended period over which learning unfolds.