A holistic approach to anti-racism resources in Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences: From the workplace to the classroom

Background: Part of the university’s 10-point plan to advance racial justice is “advancing equity, inclusiveness, and anti-racism as cornerstones of who we are.” As part of that initiative, the library discussed creating a resource that would target institutional needs. Simultaneously we were formally approached by multiple Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion-focused groups to pursue a similar project. Based on those stakeholder conversations, librarians designed a guide using democratic workspace (covering both academic and clinical settings) and anti-racist pedagogical materials as cornerstones of a holistic anti-racism resource guide. Content was consciously grounded in the context of Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences.

Description: In late spring 2020, the library received requests from University DEI groups to share resources & create a space to house information on anti-racism. Librarians evaluated subscription resources available through the University, assessed similar resources from other institutions, and searched for tools from organizations. Re-occurring themes and information gaps in existing resources were identified, and six topic areas were selected: Pedagogy, Academic Workplace, Bias, Disparities in Healthcare, Inclusive Dermatology, and Racism in Clinical Care. Ultimately, the guide provides resources that address and confront racism and bias within the curriculum (with resources for faculty to use in the classroom), the academic workplace (including how to create democratic workspaces and how to be an ally), and, more specifically, within the disciplines of Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences.

Conclusion: An active effort was made be sensitive to the topic and acquire a diverse range of input, including feedback from representatives from each school, the faculty senate, and DEI committees on campus. Suggestions have been and continue to be incorporated, including adding in a new section titled “Historical Perspectives in Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences.” We intend to evaluate user metrics at the resource level. We hope to identify the most frequently used resources across the guide, as well as for each individual section. We will conduct focus groups among faculty and staff to assess usability and integration within the curricula. These are planned for the end of the spring semester.