I participated in a great Harvard Medical School webinar on implicit bias in medicine with cardiologist Dr. Quinn Capers IV, who is a dean at UT Southwestern Medical School. Dr. Capers has published work documenting racial and gender bias in medical school admissions, among other realms. He has also published recommendations on how clinicians and medical educators can mitigate implicit bias in patient care and candidate selection.
In the webinar, Dr. Capers covered strategies to reduce or neutralize implicit bias, including
1. Common identify formation – Ask interviewee questions about interests and activities that you share in common.
2. Perspective taking – Take the perspective of a member of the group against which you have unconscious bias.
3. Consider the opposite – When data seem to point to one conclusion, briefly look for information supporting the opposite conclusion before making a final decision.
4. Counter stereotypical exemplars – Spend time with or focus on individuals you admire from groups against which you have a bias.
Dr. Capers described providing an implicit bias “cheat sheet” that included these strategies to medical school interviewers at The Ohio State College of Medicine, where he previously worked. If you have a chance to hear a lecture by Dr. Capers, make sure to grab the opportunity.
