Leon McDougle, MD, MPH

As the 121st President of the National Medical Association, which was established in 1895 so that African American physicians would have a medical society to join in support of policies and legislation to improve the health of African Americans and sustain the viability of African American physicians, I'm pleased that the AMA has adopted this new policy to increase diversity in the physician workforce.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it plain for the public to see that there is a dire need to increase the number of physicians, medical scientists and health professionals who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. The historic legacy of racism and bias among some majority physicians that have limited opportunities and heightened barriers related to social determinants of health have made initiatives such as the AMA’s an expectation required to advance health parity.

Richard J. Baron, MD, MACP

Many of us in health care have lost trust with the populations that we serve.

One of the things the AMA is doing to regain that trust is to examine its own history and the history of the medical profession with respect to structural racism. Trust rebuilding begins with acknowledging ways in which behavior, whether it be historic and/or current, has been less than ideal.

We also have data that indicate we can serve public health better when health care providers are of similar backgrounds of the patients that they are serving. We also know the health care community is not very diverse. If we are going to achieve health equity, if we are going to close gaps in care, we are going to need a more diverse workforce and develop pipeline strategies that start as early as elementary school.

I applaud the AMA for coming up with a comprehensive strategy that discusses how physicians in communities could be visible in schools, for example, and start building these kinds of relationships. It is not often that we have significant opportunities to make meaningful change, and the AMA is seizing the moment. I am sure that they will establish clear priorities and identify resources to achieve the greatest impact.

References:

Marrast LM, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.12756.

Takeshita J, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.24583.

Tsuchida RE, et al. RAND. When it comes to US health systems — diversity matters. https://www.rand.org/blog/2020/09/when-it-comes-to-us-health-systems-diversity-matters.html. Accessed June 23, 2021.

Lynne D. Richardson , MD, FACEP

We are seeing many large organizations, institutions, businesses and corporations examining themselves and the ways in which structural racism is embedded in their own organizations. Many of them are moving forward with intentionally dismantling old, discriminatory structures.

This policy is an important step by the AMA in its journey toward diversification. The first step perhaps was when the AMA stopped allowing its member societies to exclude Black physicians in 1968. Then there was its apology to the National Medical Association when it publicly acknowledged the harm that its past discriminatory policies had caused to Black physicians. The AMA recognizing its past inequities and trying to identify strategies to rectify them is very important, especially given the association’s reach and influence. The journey progresses slowly.

Now comes the important work of not just reimagining a medical education system that is more equitable, but also creating one. Since not all AMA members may be as committed to promoting truth and reconciliation and achieving equity and racial justice as the AMA’s leadership is, it may be a significant challenge for them to execute the actions that are contained in this new policy in the months and years to come.