Black Infant-Maternal Health: Focusing on Implicit Bias in - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Black Infant-Maternal Health: Focusing on Implicit Bias in Healthcare

By Lydia King Advisor: Christine Stevens

Research Question & Thesis

Question: Why is there such a high instance of maternal-infant mortality for black women? = Thesis: After completing my research, I hypothesised that anti-black racism in maternal care in the context of the U.S. produces disproportionately high infant and maternal mortality outcomes. This inequity is due to historical implicit bias within the med school system and long standing racism.

Research and globalization

• 1. Interdisciplinary review of literature

a. Experts I focused on::Dr. David R.Williams, Dr. Seline Mohamed, and Dr. Arline T. Geronimus

• 1. Community based research: Interviewing healthcare professionals

1.

Globalization: The social construct that is racism in the US, differs ever so slightly in the context

• f other countries. However, due to shared similarities between the US and other racialized

countries (with similar histories of slavery and/ or Western imperial rule) my findings will likely apply.

Framework and Vocab

• Racialized country- country where citizens are subject to a system of being divided

/ categorized according to race

• Aversive racism - An aversive racist lacks explicit racial prejudice (that is, has

sympathy for those who were victimized by injustice in the past and is committed to principles of racial equality) but has implicit biases that favor Whites over

• Blacks. (Williams, pg 3)
• Implicit bias- develops via (generally early and continuing) exposure to negative

images and ideologies surrounding certain grp of ppl

• Weathering- early health deterioration (in context of the theory, weathering is a

physical manifestation of negative effects of socio-cultural inequality [in this paper that's racism], and its effects worsen due to prolonged exposure )

History: 1. Chattel slavery 2. Early gynecoligical study 3. Eugenics, Darwinism and family planning clinics Extended exposure to Weathering

Key Findings

• Dr. Williams’ Framework (SES is negligable)

Light orange: Dark Orange: beige :

Neighborhood Breakdoen

So to review, what does implicit bias and weathering have to do with the black/ white infant-maternal mortality rate?

Nation-wide mandatory comprehensive Implicit bias training within medical and nursing schools: series

• f classes - must be taught by educators who are currently practicing and have background in public

health 1. Pt I Defining Implicit bias: and looking at its effect in medicine 2. Pt 2 How do we develop implicit bias and how can we dismantle it: 3. PT 3 Real World experience: students must intern at a local clinic

a. Can this be a global

Goals 1. Decrease implicit bias and its negative effects on care of African American population (particularly for mothers and infants) 2. Ultimately reduce maternal-infant mortality gap