A Novel Narrative Medicine Approach to DEI Training for Medical School Faculty

Abstract

Problem:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings for medical school faculty often lack self-reflective and pedagogically focused components that may promote incorporation of anti-racism and social justice into medical school curricula. Intervention: A four-session Narrative Medicine (NM) anti-racism program was designed for medical school faculty using critical race theory, phenomenology, and NM methods. Each workshop consisted of a lecture on key NM concepts and a small-group breakout session incorporating group discussion, close reading, and reflective writing. Context: This NM anti-racism program was developed and implemented in April 2021 by two medical students for faculty at an institution in the southeastern U.S. The program was supported by the Office of Inclusive Excellence at the institution and held in collaboration with the institution’s medical education teaching academy. Program evaluation consisted of pre- and post-program surveys, which queried participants’ previous experiences with DEI and medical humanities programs, perceptions of self-identity and privilege, and confidence in teaching concepts of anti-racism. Of the total program participants (n = 32), 19 completed both surveys (54.3%). Survey data were analyzed using bivariate testing methods and qualitative thematic analysis. Impact: Post-program surveys showed 13 (68.4%) participants felt “somewhat more” or “more” comfortable engaging in concepts of race, and 12 (63.2%) participants felt “somewhat more” or “more” comfortable including topics of race into their teaching compared to before the program. Five themes were generated following qualitative analysis: (1) the value of longitudinal narrative reflection in a small-group setting for DEI work; (2) desire to commit more time to DEI, anti-racist, and social justice work while balancing busy teaching and clinical schedules; (3) the value of storytelling in DEI and anti-racism programming; (4) an understanding of deconstructive and reconstructive work of anti-racism in medicine; and (5) an increased ability to educate and enact change through teaching, activism, and institutional cultural and policy changes. Lessons Learned: This novel NM DEI training for medical school faculty was successful in increasing comfort discussing and teaching concepts of race in the medical school classroom, while providing a uniquely reflective space for personal growth. Participation in this longitudinal reflective experience was limited by physician schedules, therefore efforts to make time to participate in similar longitudinal interventions must be undertaken.

Keywords:

• Narrative medicine
• diversity
• equity
• and inclusion
• faculty development
• anti-racism

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the Academy of Educators and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, as well as the Columbia University graduate program in Narrative Medicine for sponsoring this program. We also thank the faculty participants for their engagement and vulnerability across the four workshops and the speakers and NM facilitators of the program: Rita Charon, MD, PhD; George Yancy, PhD; Deepthiman Gowda, MD, MPH, MS; Sayantani DasGupta, MD, MPH; Felix Gabriel Lopez, MS; Penelope Lusk, MS; Oluwatomisin Sontan, MS; Lauren Taiclet, MS.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they do not have a conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Sarah Holdren, upon reasonable request.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Columbia University Narrative Medicine Post Graduate Fellowship.