Implicit Bias

This module provides an overview of implicit bias, and how it is manifested in everyday clinical decision-making. Viewers will learn about the underlying psychology and neuroscience of implicit associations, and assess their own biases to increase self-awareness. This course also describes debiasing strategies and best practices to mitigate risks of the impact of bias on treatment and care.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, the learner should be able to:

  • Define implicit bias and understand the difference from conscious processes
  • Understand historical context for implicit bias
  • Understand what causes implicit bias and how bias affects behavior
  • Identify at least 2 clinical scenarios where implicit bias can adversely impact care
  • Examine the nature of your own biases
  • Reflect on the possible effects of your biases on yourself and others
  • Describe at least 3 individual strategies to mitigate bias in a clinical context
  • Describe at least 2 organizational level strategies to mitigate bias in a clinical context
  • Describe at least 2 organizational-level strategies to mitigate bias

Disclaimer 

The material presented in this continuing medical education program is being made available for educational purposes and does not reflect the official views or policies of the DC Department of Health unless explicitly stated.

Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacist
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacy technician
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.50 Completion
Course opens: 
10/05/2023
Course expires: 
10/05/2026

Deliya Wesley, PhD, MPH

Scientific Director for Health Equity Research in the Healthcare Delivery Research Network
MedStar Health Research Institute
 Assistant professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine

Bio:

Dr. Wesley has expertise in health disparities and patient-level factors that impact communication and influence health decision-making. Her research focuses on the unique cultural and contextual factors impacting how racial and ethnic minorities access and utilize health services, with a focus on how patient-facing digital technologies can be optimized for use among the underserved. She is interested in adapting health information technologies to address the unique needs of vulnerable populations, especially racial and ethnic minorities and those with limited literacy. Dr. Wesley is passionate about using research to improve health outcomes and foster health equity.

The presenters for this course have declared no conflicts of interest

Felise Milan, MD​

Professor of Medicine​
Director, Ruth L. Gottesman Clinical Skills Center​
Director, Introduction to Clinical Medicine Programs​
Albert Einstein College of Medicine​

Bio:​

Dr. Felise Milan is currently a Professor of Clinical Medicine, the Director of the Clinical Skills Center, and the Director of the Introduction to Clinical Medicine Programs for first- and second-year medical students at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She also directs the 3rd-year Clinical Skills Assessment and Review Programs. Dr. Milan’s academic interests include teaching and assessment of clinical skills (especially communication skills), psychosocial and behavioral medicine (smoking cessation and exercise counseling), complementary/alternative medicine and women’s health.

Dr. Milan received her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed her residency training (in Primary Care Internal Medicine) and fellowship (in Psychosocial Medicine) at Brown University. Following her training, Dr. Milan joined the faculty at Brown to direct the psychosocial and complementary/alternative medicine curricula for internal medicine residents and the medical interviewing course for first-year medical students. Dr. Milan returned to New York in 1999 to join the Primary Care and Social Internal Medicine faculty at Montefiore.

The presenters for this course have declared no conflicts of interest

C. Anneta Arno, PhD, MPH​

Director, Office of Health Equity​
DC Health​

Bio:

Dr. Arno is an experienced public health professional with a track record in the field of health equity. This includes work promoting community collaboration to transform views and perspectives related to root causes of health disparities, the integration of health equity concepts into healthcare delivery systems, and racial equity through a public health lens.

Dr. Arno held previous leadership roles in  Communicable Disease Prevention & Public Health Preparedness at the City of Kansas City (Missouri) Health Department; the Center for Health Equity in the Louisville (Kentucky) Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness; and at the University of Louisville School of Public Health & Information Sciences

​The presenters for this course have declared no conflicts of interest

Christopher King, PhD, MHSc, FACHE​

Chair, Department of Health Systems Administration​
Georgetown University​

Bio:

As Chair of the Department of Health Systems Administration, Christopher provides visionary leadership and oversight of undergraduate and graduate academic programs. As associate professor, he teaches and contributes to scholarship on the creation of equitable systems of care within the context of national health reform goals. He works closely with public and private providers to more formally integrate social correlates of health in standards of patient care. Prior to joining Georgetown University, Christopher served as the first Assistant Vice President of Community Health for MedStar Health, a $6B not-for-profit healthcare system comprised of 10 hospitals in the Baltimore/Washington region. Accomplishments included planning, launching and managing a new corporate function designed to apply more rigor and evidence in community-based planning, implementation and evaluation. He was also responsible for developing, testing and evaluating innovative approaches to bridge the gap between medical care and public health.

​The presenters for this course have declared no conflicts of interest

Seth A. Krevat, MD

Bio:

Assistant vice president for Safety at MedStar Health and a faculty associate at MedStar Health’s National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare. In addition, he is an attending physician, Palliative Medicine, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

As assistant vice president for Safety, Dr. Krevat is responsible for patient and staff safety and for risk reduction programs. He focuses on understanding, coordinating, and measuring the performance of internal and external safety requirements in both the acute and non-acute care arenas. In addition, he developed and conducts a comprehensive safety program aimed at reducing safety risks and addressing serious safety events as they arise. He also leads a clinical documentation improvement program for all the MedStar hospitals.

In 2014, Dr. Krevat was selected as one of 25 physicians to participate in an 18-month MedStar leadership development program. At MedStar, he serves on several committees, including the 2020 Performance Transformation Care Management Team; the Clinical Business Council Committee; and the Quality, Safety and Risk Management Reorganization Steering Committee. He is a member of the American College of Physician Executives, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Physicians. In addition, he has presented his work at meetings of professional societies on topics such as patient safety event data and the integration of human factors engineering into patient safety and risk reduction programs. Dr. Krevat is board certified in internal medicine and in hospice and palliative medicine.

The presenters for this course have declared no conflicts of interest

Physicians 

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 
The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA Physician Recognition Award Category 1.5 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 

PHARMACISTS AND PHARMACY TECHNICIANS 

The George Washington University Hospital, Department of Pharmacy is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

ACPE#: 0536-9999-23-018-H99-P
ACPE#: 0536-9999-23-018-H99-T
Release Date: October 5, 2023
Expiration Date: October 5, 2026
CE Credits: 1.5 (0.15 CEUs)

Available Credit

  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacist
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacy technician
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
    The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
  • 1.50 Completion
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