“Leveraging Wayne State University Expertise to Implement an Evidence-based Implicit Bias Training Curriculum for School of Medicine Students, Staff and Faculty”

Implicit biases, or unconscious attitudes and stereotypes, can negatively influence our decision making and communication. A context where this has become unacceptably apparent is in healthcare. The persistent disparities documented in healthcare are the result of many factors, including implicit bias. This has led to a plethora of implicit bias trainings and curricula. Unfortunately, the evidence on the effectiveness of such trainings are scant and, what does exist, is not terribly encouraging. The School of Medicine at Wayne State University, based in the diverse yet very segregated city of Detroit, Michigan, has faced the consequences of bias, both implicit and explicit, as much as any other medical institution in the United States. Fortunately, within the School of Medicine and across the university, expertise on the problem of and solutions to implicit bias have flourished. Our highly-experience interdisciplinary study team has leveraged that expertise and has successfully designed and implemented a comprehensive and longitudinal implicit bias curriculum for Wayne State University School of Medicine medical students, graduate students, staff and faculty, and healthcare providers working at any of the affiliates of WSU. Dr. Lauren Hamel will provide an update on the implementation of this curriculum and plans for the future.