Himani S.'s Senior Project Blog!

Throughout the past few decades, our society has undergone monumental changes, but 2020 was a year that will never be forgotten. 2020 was a year of accountability. Our society has begun the process of acknowledging and working to remedy disparities that exist as a result of racism being so deeply intertwined in our societal institutions. While focus has been placed on our public safety departments and governmental institutions -- things that absolutely must continue to reform -- it is of the utmost importance to examine the medical field and dismantle the existing racist ideas and practices, alter medical education to distance them from the Eurocentric standards and account for racial diversity, and ensure that healthcare is provided equitably. With my senior project, I will create a manual explaining the roots of racism in medicine; what is being done well and what needs to be improved in regards to the healthcare of BIPOC communities. This document will include how often misdiagnosed diseases express themselves on BIPOC; an understanding that race has no relationship to having higher pain tolerances; racial disparities in medicine based on my primary research as well as secondary sources; how to provide equitable healthcare; the current biases that exist; and informed recommendations for remediating the disparities. I will also create a program that parallels the Red Hook Community Justice Center’s “Bridging the Gap” with physicians as opposed to police officers, enabling BIPOC to talk to physicians to help alleviate their fears and communicate what they need from physicians.