Reflecting on Race and Health Outcomes: Through the Eyes of a Pre-Health Professional Student

Introduction

Undergraduate pre-health students are often required to take liberal arts courses in order to graduate with a baccalaureate degree and meet admissions requirements for health professions schools. These courses present an opportunity to learn about the relationship between the social sciences and humanities and examine the growing body of health disparities research which sheds light on historical context, the social determinants of health, upstream factors beyond clinical care, and systems level impacts of racism and gender bias. Given that clinical care determines a small percentage of health status, health professionals and those-in-training would benefit from expanding their awareness beyond biology of disease and health care (Barton, Brandt, Dieter, Williams, 2020). Undergraduate liberal arts, social science, and humanities courses can provide excellent opportunities for pre-health students to learn about and reflect on important issues for their future health professions careers. By understanding factors determining health and outcomes, pre-health advisors and undergraduate faculty can play an important role in facilitating learning necessary for health professionals practicing in the rapidly changing health system that is proactively addressing health inequities of race and gender (University of Minnesota, 2021).

The chapter co-authors, a pre-health graduate and supervising honors thesis mentor, write about what they learned together in the University of Minnesota’s Biology, Society, and Environment degree program. Due to exposure to social justice initiatives during high school, the pre-health graduate selected the focus of race as a thread in her biology, social science, and humanities courses. Coinciding with her undergraduate education were the events of 2020--a global pandemic and the murder of George Floyd—which illuminated racial inequities in her own community. The juxtaposition of these issues, simultaneously with study, created an opportunity for critical thinking about the meaning of research, theory, and realities.

This chapter takes readers through the thread of liberal arts, social sciences, and humanities by focusing on the issue of maternal health disparities and its history of racism in the United States. This case study illustrates a sociohistorical understanding of racism in healthcare while also introducing the concept of implicit bias interventions. The chapter discusses how implicit bias can manifest in health professionals and provides recommendations for pre-health advisors and faculty to assist students with the selection of courses and activities to prepare them for careers that will require understanding and competency around race and the impact of social determinants of health (SDOH). A prototype of a learning guide to facilitate awareness and reflection is also included (see Appendix A)