Standing up for representation in undergraduate medical education curricula through medical student, librarian, and faculty collaboration: a case report

Abstract

Background: A shortage of images of pathology on diverse skin tones has been recognized for decades in health professions education. Identifying skin manifestations of disease depends on pattern recognition, which is difficult without visual examples. Lack of familiarity with visual diagnosis on skin of color can lead to delayed or missed diagnoses with increased morbidity and mortality. As the United States continues to increase in ethnic and racial diversity, addressing the disparity in health outcomes with education is vital.

Case Presentation: At the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, students, librarians, and faculty came together to address this problem and develop a database of dermatological conditions in people with darker skin tones. A student group initiated a series of meetings with faculty to determine the best approach to address and enhance the representation of diversity in disease images within the curriculum. With the guidance of faculty and librarians, students performed a literature search and created a database of images of skin pathologies in people with darker skin tones. The database was disseminated to course directors and lecturers, and the noted disparities were corrected for the next cohort of students. The database provides an easily accessible resource for creating lecture slides.

Conclusion: This project brought awareness of the need for inclusivity and generated a broad review of the curriculum to be more representative of all patient populations. Most importantly, our experience provides a roadmap for institutional change through student, librarian and faculty collaboration and cultivation of a culture of optimism and acceptance.