Stigma and Empathy: Sex Workers as Educators of Medical Students

Abstract

The article by Robitz and colleagues [1] in this issue of Academic Psychiatry describes an entirely medical student-driven educational project, the Women Leading Healthy Change (WLHC). In this program, medical students at the University of Cincinnati partnered with a community organization to educate and empower women who have survived commercial sexual exploitation, homelessness, substance dependence and mental [1]. Their program was created with two missions: to empower sex workers with co-occurring mental illness and substance dependence and to teach medical students. As the authors point out, sex workers who live with addictions and mental illness (and, we add, even those without addiction and mental illness) are not typically viewed as potential educators of medical trainees. Nevertheless, individual medical students involved in this program perceived it as a great educational experience, which enabled them to deal with complicated and sensitive topics, made them more co... Language: en