Journal Article

Developing an Anti-Racism Tool Kit for Medical Education: A Pre-Clerkship Curriculum Audit

Song, Yuanyi, Pagé, Jasmin, Simpson, Ewurabena, Muldoon, Laura, Campbell, Craig M., Hussen, Saada, Abel, Lisa, Evina, Gaelle Bekolo, Burhunduli, Patricia, Johnson, Kassia

2025

Overview

Background Racialized health inequities are poorly addressed in medical education, often presenting race without social context and perpetuating racialized biases. Reframing the understanding of race as a social construct and incorporating anti-racism education into medical curricula are essential to mitigate health inequities. Our study describes an anti-racism curriculum audit conducted for the University of Ottawa Undergraduate Medical Education pre-clerkship program. This audit informed the development of an anti-racism toolkit designed to serve as a systematic guide for medical schools undertaking curriculum reforms. Methods A comprehensive anti-racism curriculum audit was conducted on pre-clerkship curriculum content from May 2020 to August 2021. Content flagged for concern was categorized into 4 themes: insufficient representation of racialized populations, race-based generalizations, cultural insensitivities, and reinforcement of stereotypes. Results The curriculum audit evaluated 772 course modules, completed by 18 medical students. A total of 224 (31.6%) modules contained one or more racial biases. The most prevalent concern was insufficient representation of racialized populations, identified in 145 flagged comments (55.1%). Curriculum content also perpetuated race-based generalizations (n = 75 flagged comments, 28.5%), racial stereotypes (n = 23 flagged comments, 8.8%), and cultural insensitivities (n = 20 flagged comments, 7.6%). Conclusions This anti-racism curriculum audit revealed a lack of diverse representation, alongside the persistence of race-based generalizations, stereotypes, and cultural insensitivities in a large proportion of the pre-clerkship curriculum. An anti-racist lens and curriculum are necessary to reduce bias in medical education and empower medical students to provide equitable care to the diverse Canadian patient population.

• Publisher: SAGE Publications,Sage Publications Ltd,SAGE Publishing
• Subject: Audits / Curricula / Curriculum Development / Ethnic Stereotypes / Health disparities / Medical education / Medical students / Original / Race / Racial discrimination / Racism / Social Environment / Stereotypes