The persistence of health disparities has driven U.S. medical institutions to work towards the creation of culturally competent curricula in an effort to systemically combat these disparities. Despite this, research on all levels of medical education has revealed that many universities are failing to meet the bare minimum in disparity education, with most curricula lacking an intersectional approach. This may be attributed to the traditional method of medical curricula that focuses on singular populations and neglects the intersection of multiple identities in a historical, structural, and cultural context.
Our team of three with backgrounds in bioethics, political science, public health, social justice, and sociology have created this project within the Intersectional Health Student Association (IHSA) to shed light on health disparities across combinations of gender identity, sexuality, race, age, socioeconomic status, and disability, among other demographics. We invite you to use an intersectional lens and conceptualize health inequities in health as a social problem driven by a number of complex discriminations and disadvantages.
The Case for Intersectionality in Medical Curricula
Intersectionality shows us that sex, gender, sexuality, race, culture, and socioeconomic status, among others, are NOT mutually exclusive. Despite this, medical curricula focus on single populations, which casts a shadow on those who sit at the center of multiple intersecting minority identities. There needs to be a cultural shift among medical professionals regarding how we think about health disparities. Check out our educational materials on how you can get started.