Bryan Walker’s Post

Health Equity and Leadership! In my capacity as an EDI fellow at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, I was given the opportunity to co-facilitate a discussion with the most wonderful Symphony Fletcher about ‘Birthing Justice’. This film explores the vast inequities in maternal care for Black people in the US (and across the world), whilst also providing the perspective of the healthcare professionals and policy makers that are positively transforming realities everyday. We explored a number of different thoughts, questions and experiences that our attendees had to share. The ones that stood out for me were: ✅ Equitable healthcare provision is not a zero sum game. No one loses out if Black people have better experiences. In fact, EVERYONE will get better care. ✅ How do we interrogate the medical curricula and make sure it does not help to perpetuate medical racism? ✅ How do we use our relative privileges and spheres of influence achieve more equitable experiences and outcomes? I couldn’t find a picture of Symphony and I, but please enjoy this picture with Alberto Inzulza Galdames from the HEAL conference 😅

I couldn't let the day go by without highlighting this amazing day! This month is National Minority Health Month, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is coordinating a virtual day of action on April 30 to highlight the positive impact that diversifying the healthcare workforce can have on long-standing health inequities and how initiatives like the Action Collaborative for Black Men in Medicine and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII and Title VIII workforce programs are vital to increasing workforce diversity for the benefit of all patients. The charge of the action collaborative is to: Identify replicable solutions to amplify and support Black men’s interest in a career in medicine and/or in the biomedical sciences. Use existing data and evidence to develop systems-based solutions to address exclusionary practices that create barriers for Black men and prevent them from having equitable opportunities to successfully enroll in medical school. Convene key partners to act on measurable solutions. You can become an action partner and stay updated on the work of the action collaborative via email at [email protected]. 

Did you know that: ✅”Race” is not biological but a sociopolitical construct of white supremacism & anti Black racism? ✅Health disparities between socially defined racial groups are as a result of structural and systemic racism, not presumed inherent “racial” differences? ✅For the past 100s of years, medicine & the healthcare enterprise continues to confuse & conflate “race” with genetic ancestry & treat race as a biological variable, further contributing to racial health disparities? A practice known as Race Based Medicine (RBM)? Do you know that RBM affects the care YOU & YOUR loved ones receive????? Come to our FREE & VIRTUAL Roundtable of national & community healthcare leaders tomorrow evening, Wednesday, 2/28/24, 5pmET, to learn how RBM affects clinical practice, research, & policy; what WE are doing to end it; and how YOU can be a part of fundamentally transforming medical & healthcare practice! Brought to you by Wayne State University School of Medicine Wayne State University End Race Based Medicine Taskforce. Registration link in comments!

Why don't we have more Black physicians in America? The results found in an economic evaluation of 13 historically Black medical schools that were closed and four historically Black medical schools that remained open after the 1910 Flexner report are shocking. Based on data from the medical schools that remained open, five of the closed medical schools might have collectively provided training to an additional 35,315 graduates by 2019. If these five closed schools had remained open, they could have produced a 29% increase in the number of graduating African American physicians in 2019 alone. Let that sink in. Source: https://bit.ly/3OKEcHN

When people pretend systemic racism doesn't exist they are gaslighting Black people. The goal is to pretend what is happening to us is not and we're just imagining it all. But the systemic impact has a legacy that impacts us all to this day. Please check out this article and order this book!

This is an example of systemic racism; banning Black people from entering medical school across Canada from 1918 - 1968, which is when I was born. So let that settle in. Black people were banned from entering Canadian Universities to become physicians until 56 years ago. When people talk about transformational equity as change management tools, this is why. It takes an average of 10-20 years to complete medical school, and then focus on a specialization. Thus, when people talk about EDI/JEDI/ transformation equity and the designated recruitment and support of Black students in the health sector this is why. Thus, people in hospitals have been complicit in the perpetuation of anti-Black Racism by the continuation of hiring other racialized people and claiming they are racially inclusive. Look around, how many other races are included in your leadership, yet Black representation is dismal or invisible. When Black leaders are removed, you will often see the lightening of representation in order to prove institutions/leaders anti-racism. Who wants to bet that Harvard will replace Gay with a person of South/East Asian ethnicity? It's such a played out game, that it's so predictable.

If you read, process, and make changes to your practice when reviewing evidence-based research about various medical phenomena & trends, also process and make changes to your practice when disparity in the provision of timely, quality healthcare to black patients is revealed in the research.

On this Maternal Health Awareness Day I'm reflecting on the man-made crisis we are facing. The racist, sexist, and classist Flexner report not only caused the closure of medical schools educating Black physicians but also mandated hospital birth and nearly abolished midwifery in this country. We are all wringing our hands over the complexities of reaching health equity, while our ancestors are the ones who put the current system in place that still benefits those in power. Guess what? We can put policies in place to undo the disparities, just like those rich white men did back in at the beginning of the 20th century. Five things we could do right now to make reparations for the Flexner Report: 1. Let midwives be regulated free of physician oversight and control 2. Reimburse midwives at the same rate as physicians for the same work 3. Include midwives as voting members of hospital medical staffs 4. Invest in freestanding birth centers 5. Pay people from marginalized groups to go to school for nursing, midwifery, and medicine. There are decades of evidence that support these measures, yet many states are failing to undo the damage of the Flexner Report. When proven strategies like midwifery care, group prenatal care, and birth centers are adequately incentivized, we will see results.

Share Your Story with Us! Are you a Black male in medicine with valuable insights to share? We want to hear from you! Whether you’re an expert on a specific topic, have experiences to share about the medical school application process, or want to highlight a research accomplishment, your voice matters. Your stories, expertise, and achievements can inspire and guide the next generation of Black male physicians. By sharing your journey, you can provide valuable advice, support, and motivation to those following in your footsteps. Submit your blog post to us at [email protected]. Let your story be a beacon of inspiration and a testament to the incredible contributions of Black men in medicine. Together, we can create a rich tapestry of experiences and knowledge that will uplift and empower our community. #cbmp #blackmenphysicians #blackmenwhitecoats #blackmeninmedicine #doctors

#BETTERISPOSSIBLE - Dr. Scott Morris, a Memphis hero, reflects on the impact of D-Day, stating that "the life we live today would be much different if D-Day had failed." Today marks the 80th anniversary of this historic event. Listen to Dr. Morris's insights on how this pivotal moment shaped our world. What are your thoughts? Listen to Dr. Scott Morris's reflections here: https://lnkd.in/efE6k7sk