Impact and Strategies

Disparate health outcomes and systemic inequities between Black and White people in America with respect to wealth, well-being, and quality of life should be seen as a result of a history where Black people have been consistently devalued. Minoritized health care professionals in clinical and administrative roles are directly impacted by racism, microaggressions, and bias experienced in work environments. These experiences can be isolating, painful, threatening, and paralyzing. In the moment when experiencing bias or microaggressions, targeted individuals will want to act but cannot and subsequently experience anxiety, guilt, and self-disappointment. Over time, accumulated stress results in poor health outcomes and reduced productivity at work. Strategies for confronting these challenges include acknowledging racist roots of institutions and policies, addressing structural racism in communities and in the workplace, educating oneself, debunking biological myths, promoting workforce diversity and equity, and addressing bias in medical education.