Welcome to the UMass Chan Medical School Library Guide on Racism in Academic Medicine. This guide is designed to provide a comprehensive, intersectional, and in-depth exploration of racism within the realm of academic medicine, with a special emphasis on historical perspectives. Here, we dissect the role of race and ethnicity in shaping medical practices, education, and research, alongside addressing the critical, yet often overlooked, implications on public health. Our ultimate goal is to enhance understanding, spark conversations, and inspire transformation towards a more inclusive and equitable healthcare environment.
UMass Chan Medical School acknowledges that its campus is located on lands that were once part of the original homeland of the Nipmuc people. We denounce the violence that stripped these original stewards of lands that were their ancestral home and denied their descendants the opportunity for an authentic connection to it. In making this acknowledgement, we announce our intention to listen to and follow the lead of our Indigenous neighbors and work together to create new legacies of equity and respect.
This guide is a collaborative effort.
Resources were adapted from multiple sources, including NYU’s Health Sciences Library Libguide, Harvard’s Antiracism and Health collection, University of Nevada Las Vegas, among others. This work does not have a beginning and end point; rather, it is a continual process to recognize and name the harms both historical and current that inflict harm and impact the safety and well-being of racial and ethnic minorities across the United States. It is the goal of this guide to recognize, name, and interrogate the policies, practices, and histories that uphold systemic inequalities in academic medicine. We invite feedback and recommendations for more resources. While we have done our best to use inclusive language, we recognize there may still be instances where we may have caused unintended harm and would be grateful for suggestions on how to make improvements (Credit: Kathryn Houk, UNLV).
A special thank you to the UMass Chan community for striving to do better.
