The Department of Medicine Civic Engagement Committee would like all of our faculty, staff and trainees to consider attending this Journeys in Medicine session on Tuesday, October 17 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Unfortunately in the first half of 2017, our medical care teams have reported more incidents of intolerance and patients making derogatory comments or requesting(...)
Journeys in Medicine
Experiencing Racial Bias During Medical Training
Posted by | AdministrationIn a recent JAMA Viewpoint article, "Making All Lives Matter in Medicine From the Inside Out," Michael O. Mensah, a current resident at the University of California, Los Angeles, reveals a brief narrative of an “all-to-familiar” experience where during his medical student years at the University of California, San Francisco he was subjected to situations(...)
Are you taxed?
Posted by | AdministrationA few months back, a colleague emailed me an essay entitled “Medical Education and the Minority Tax” from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Since that time, the content of the essay has sparked interesting conversations. This brief essay chronicles the perspective and journey of Kali D. Cyrus, MD, MPH who, at the time,(...)
The Civic Engagement Committee Steps Out
Posted by | Administration, Civic EngagementOn Wednesday, June 21, The Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Medicine’s Civic Engagement Committee volunteered in the Douglas Homes Community Health Fair. The purpose of the fair was to educate and empower families to take actions and make good choices to be more self-sufficient. The fair connected families with community resources with health screenings for all ages,(...)
Journeys Forward
Posted by | AdministrationAbout two years ago our department began on a journey to chronicle thought-provoking articles, activities and innovative ideas that focused on community engagement, community health and equity. We encourage readers to look back at previous posts, as well as review a recent post from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Improving Community Health by Strengthening Community Investment: Roles(...)
Is Equity the Missing Link?
Posted by | AdministrationIn a recent Health Affairs Blog "Restoring Equity to the Health Law Debate," Abraham Nussbaum, a psychiatrist at Denver Health, delivers an awakening perspective on a missing component of our critical conversation and public debate on health reform--EQUITY. He delves into a historical account of the Scottish physician, Archie Cochrane whose insights from the famous lecture(...)
Dealing with Racist Patients
Posted by | AdministrationManaging medically complex patients from around Maryland and the world is a practice that physicians at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions regularly handle. However, the experience of caring for patients with openly alternate or even bigoted viewpoints regarding matters of race, ethnicity, gender or religion can be difficult. We can look back at the February 2016(...)
Go Red for Women
Posted by | Civic EngagementThe month of February was Go Red for Women month sponsored by the American Heart Association to raise awareness about women and heart disease. The journal Circulation published its first-ever Go Red for Women issue and in addition to articles about gender disparities in research and clinical outcomes, they also chose to publish an article(...)
DOM Civic Engagement Community Service Kickoff Event
Posted by | Civic Engagement, Vice Chair ContributorsWe are excited to announce the first event of the DOM Civic Engagement Community Outreach Committee. Many of us take for granted that we have the proper clothing and business attire to wear to work. Imagine, however, if you were recently homeless or unemployed—it is highly likely that you no longer have those resources, making(...)
Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives—The Role of Health Professionals in the NEJM
Posted by | Civic Engagement, Vice Chair ContributorsIn the October 12, 2016 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, a perspectives article makes the distinction between interpersonal racism and structural racism, citing the latter as a contributor to premature death and reduced levels of overall health and well-being. Structural racism is “a confluence of institutions, culture, history, ideology and codified practices(...)