How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Biases in Medicine

As part of Curi’s health equity webinar series, Dr. Nneka O. Sederstrom, Chief Health Equity Officer of Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota, presented a webinar on Aug. 19 titled, “How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Biases in Medicine.” Sederstrom examined the interactions between clinicians and patients from historically marginalized communities to help attendees understand how to improve interactions and patient experiences in the future.

A Culture of Inequity

Sederstrom explained how current inequities in the U.S. healthcare system were shaped by a history of slavery, segregation, and bias. She acknowledged that we now have an opportunity to address and advance health equity in the U.S. As government and medical organizations increasingly engage with this issue, Sederstrom said she believes that the future is promising. She concluded by sharing actionable advice for doctors on how they can personally affect change by recognizing that equality is not equivalent to equity, researching how racial inequities have directly affected their specialty or communities, and accepting that this process may be difficult and uncomfortable.

To learn more about this topic, please scroll below to view a recording of the webinar or visit our health equity resource page.