Author(s): Claire Parker, David Jensen
Mentor(s): Elyse Vaccaro
Institution UVU
My research, specifically, investigates the impact of implicit biases on healthcare delivery and reception in clinical settings. I focus on undergraduate students preparing to enter the medical field, recognizing that addressing implicit bias early in one's career can significantly influence future patient treatment. My study examines how the representation of women and minorities in pre-health care education affects the attitudes, perceptions, and understanding of future healthcare providers. My methodology involves surveying pre-health students to distinguish between implicit and explicit biases. This approach allows me to view these students not only as future healthcare providers but also as patients themselves, who will carry their own experiences into their practice. I am currently in the developing phase, and plan to distribute my survey to undergraduate pre-health programs. The potential impact of my research is far-reaching. By identifying and quantifying biases early in medical education, I aim to develop targeted interventions that can be implemented in undergraduate pre-health curricula. These interventions could lead to more equitable healthcare practices, improved patient outcomes, and a more diverse and culturally competent healthcare workforce. Looking ahead, I plan to analyze our survey data and develop a framework for bias awareness training in pre-health education. Long term, I hope to collaborate with medical schools to implement and evaluate this training, potentially shaping the future of medical education and, by extension, healthcare delivery. My ultimate goal is to provide students—many of whom will become our future healthcare providers—with the perspectives necessary to provide specific, respectful and appropriate treatment to all individuals, regardless of how they fit within preconceived notions of "normalcy/normality."