- Florida State College of Medicine hosts an annual Racism Awareness Week organized by the FSU Medical Student Council.
- The goal of the RAW week is to raise awareness and also build empathy in students about the unique challenges of healthcare for people of all races and identities.
- Watch now to hear students detail why these efforts help bridge care gaps.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A student-led effort to improve the future of healthcare for minorities.
I'm Alberto Camargo your College Town neighborhood reporter.
Speaking with Florida State medical students about how these intimate sessions can impact healthcare and bridge care gaps for patients of all races and identities.
For years, the College of Medicine has featured in-depth discussions for students to learn about the disparities in healthcare across race.
The National Institute of Health says racism is "a technological hazard in the practice of medicine" and that its often "unthinking and careless."
Monday featured a discussion on intersectionality in medicine, highlighting the Black transgender healthcare experience.
Profilia Nord says it's one of several identities that the healthcare community needs dedicated opportunities to learn about.
"It's really important for us to understand the strengths and the weaknesses of the healthcare industry. And a really big weakness that we have is speaking about marginalization of certain populations that we do take care of."
Tuesday will host a panel recognizing skin conditions across diverse racial backgrounds.
It's open to all members of the community, not just students.
"It's important that we bring awareness not only to each other within the community but also to the greater student body here at FSU and the medical school."
FSU pre-med student Anabelle Aiken says that awareness and learning to combat racism in medicine is the key to being an effective medical professional.
"Learning cultural competencies across cultures, races, genders I think is very important because every one has different experiences in medicine, what they're there for and what kind of care they need."
Thursday will feature a showing of a movie about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study to highlight systemic racism in medical research.
The College of Medicine says the intention is to open dialogue around these concerns and to build empathy and progress in their students as they enter the medical community.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
