J Natl Med Assoc
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To identify the motivations of adolescent students applying into medical pipeline programs that are focused on populations underrepresented in medicine. ⋯ Applicants to medical school pipeline programs articulate similar intrinsic motivations that can be used to inform what drives students to apply. Pipeline programs should consider these intrinsic motivations, while also creating structured activities from which students can learn and gain tangible benefits when designing curricula. While ninth-grade students acknowledge health disparities in minority communities, their current level of personal experience may not lead them to identify these disparities as significant motivators, and pipeline leaders should be aware of this when designing lesson plans concerning these topics.
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NO abstract intended, Introduction is listed here The COVID-19 pandemic and call for social justice is occurring when the United States, unlike its peer countries, has already experienced a steady 20-year rise in maternal morbidity and mortality with pregnant women today facing a 50 percent higher risk of mortality than their mothers. 1 Most vulnerable are women of color, black and American Indian/Alaska Native women, who have experienced longstanding disparities in access to and quality of healthcare and may begin pregnancy with hypertension, diabetes, and obesity, complications known to be more common in women enduring segregation. 2-4 Initially, the race-related health disparities and resultant disproportionately higher rates of COVID-19 cases and mortality in indigenous communities and black, latinx, or other communities of color were mistakenly considered innate racial differences. More recently, these higher rates have been attributed to underlying social, structural, and environmental determinants of health including resource inequities, inadequate housing, and occupational and environmental hazards that result in greater exposure to and less protection from COVID-19. 5,6 Augmented by the added physiologic stress of pregnancy, these comorbidities and disparities compound the risk of pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy, thromboembolism, and hemorrhage, often resulting in lasting physical and mental health consequences.
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Implicit bias instruction is becoming more prevalent across the continuum of medical education. Little guidance exists for faculty on recognizing and debriefing about implicit bias during routine clinical encounters. ⋯ After a single session, respondents reported increased confidence and comfort with the topic. They identified strategies relevant to their professional contexts which can inform future skills-based interventions. For healthcare organizations responding to calls for implicit bias training, this approach has great promise. It is feasible and can reach a wide audience through usual grand rounds programming, serving as an effective early step in such training.