Teaching Health Equity in the Time of COVID-19: a Virtual Look Through the Lens of Structural Racism.

Abstract

IntroductionIn the context of marked health disparities affecting historically marginalized communities, medical schools have an obligation to rapidly scale up COVID-19 education through the lens of structural racism.AimTo develop and implement a virtual curriculum on structural racism in a required COVID-19 course for medical students using “just-in-time” training.SettingAcademic medical institution during the height of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020.ParticipantsThree hundred ninety-three 3rd and 4th-year medical students prior to re-entry into clinical care.Program DescriptionThree educational sessions focused on (1) racial health disparities, (2) othering and pandemics, and (3) frameworks to address health inequity. The virtual teaching methods included narrated recorded presentations, reflections, and student-facilitated small group dialogue.Program EvaluationIn matched pre- and post-surveys, participants reported significant changes in their confidence in achieving the learning objectives and high satisfaction with small group peer facilitation.DiscussionThe use of “just-in-time” training exploring the intersection between COVID-19 and structural racism facilitated the delivery of time-relevant and immediately clinically applicable content as students were preparing to re-enter a transformed clinical space. Similar approaches can be employed to adapt to changing healthcare landscapes as academic medical centers strive to build more equitable health systems.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11606-022-07516-2.