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

Abstract

Introduction: In 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. Aim: To develop and implement a virtual curriculum on structural racism in a required COVID-19 course for medical students using “just-in-time” training. Setting: Academic medical institution during the height of COVID-19 in the spring of 2020. Participants: Three hundred ninety-three 3rd and 4th-year medical students prior to re-entry into clinical care. Program Description: Three 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 Evaluation: In 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. Discussion: The 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.