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Suggested Citation:"7 Concluding Remarks." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. The Impacts of Racism and Bias on Black People Pursuing Careers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25849.
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7

Concluding Remarks

Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, chair of the Roundtable, expressed appreciation to the presenters and participants. Dr. Camara Jones, workshop co-chair, then presented closing remarks, drawing from some of the points she made during her keynote address (see Chapter 2).

Dr. Jones challenged the participants with what she termed homework. She asked them to view how racism may be operating in different places and contexts with which they have contact and identify levers of interventions to counter it. She noted she had developed some “top-of-mind” suggestions related to each mechanism and asked participants to identify others.

As she presented in the keynote, Dr. Jones said mechanisms that contribute to Black underrepresentation in medicine may include:

  • Structures, such as racial residential segregation, quality preschool programs, K-12 partnerships, or medical faculty diversity
  • Policies, such as unequitable public school funding or truncated affirmative action policies
  • Practices, including use of MCAT scores as a first hurdle, inclusion of photographs on applications, and limited outreach to HBCUs
  • Norms, including that standardized tests are important predictors of success as a clinician while a student’s “distance traveled” is marginally relevant
  • Values, including beliefs that Blacks are less intelligent or hardworking or other negative traits, and white supremacist ideology.
Suggested Citation:"7 Concluding Remarks." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. The Impacts of Racism and Bias on Black People Pursuing Careers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25849.
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“This is not just a stimulating day with great talks,” Dr. Jones said. “We want this Roundtable meeting to create a menu of levers for dismantling racism and putting in its place a system where we can all develop to our full potential, including the genius of Black men and Black women in science, engineering, and medicine.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, we cannot return to the status quo. We need a new normal,” Dr. Jones said. She called for three items on an anti-racist agenda: “reparations, de-carceration, and a huge investment in communities with a special focus on investment in children.”

Workshop co-chair Cedric Bright closed by noting the workshop discussions covered racism and bias as a multifaceted issue, and the work of the Roundtable would continue. “This is not the end, this is just the beginning,” he said.

Suggested Citation:"7 Concluding Remarks." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. The Impacts of Racism and Bias on Black People Pursuing Careers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25849.
×
Page 55
Suggested Citation:"7 Concluding Remarks." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. The Impacts of Racism and Bias on Black People Pursuing Careers in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/25849.
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Page 56
Next: Appendix A: Workshop Agenda »
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Despite the changing demographics of the nation and a growing appreciation for diversity and inclusion as drivers of excellence in science, engineering, and medicine, Black Americans are severely underrepresented in these fields. Racism and bias are significant reasons for this disparity, with detrimental implications on individuals, health care organizations, and the nation as a whole. The Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine was launched at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2019 to identify key levers, drivers, and disruptors in government, industry, health care, and higher education where actions can have the most impact on increasing the participation of Black men and Black women in science, medicine, and engineering.

On April 16, 2020, the Roundtable convened a workshop to explore the context for their work; to surface key issues and questions that the Roundtable should address in its initial phase; and to reach key stakeholders and constituents. This proceedings provides a record of the workshop.

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