Women's Dermatologic Society

  Recognizing and Reducing Implicit Bias: Strategies to Improve Equity in Dermatology By Susan Massick, MD Implicit Bias in Dermatology The Merriam-Webster definition of “bias” is “an inclination of temperament or outlook.” By itself, bias is a neutral term, but one can harbor biases that are positive or negative aimed toward a person, an object, or a concept. “Explicit bias” pertains to our beliefs on a conscious level—we are aware of them; however, “implicit bias” refers to our unconscious beliefs and attitudes outside of our conscious awareness that may positively or negatively impact our behavior, our actions, and our decisions. What are examples of common implicit biases? ·          Gender ·          Race/Ethnicity ·          Age ·          Religion ·         ...

By Dr. Morgan Murphrey Earlier this year, Dr. Susan Taylor and Dr. Jenna Lester published a call for action in JAMA Dermatology, charging dermatologists to reflect on structural racism and how it manifests within our field.1 Bias plays an important role in patient interactions and encounters, as well as structural racism and inequities. Within dermatology, there are important opportunities to identify, address, and combat biases. When people make decisions, they rely on their quick, intuitive reasoning, as well as their slow, deliberate cognitive thinking. Psychologists call this Type 1 and Type 2 processing, respectively. Type 1 thinking can be riddled with bias, often unknowingly. Implicit biases are biases that we are not consciously aware of, which affect our interactions with the world around us. A recent pilot study suggests that dermatologists are susceptible to these biases, and prescribing practices may be influenced by extraneous factors such as...

  By Shawna A. Flanagan, MD, FAAD Twenty plus years ago I decided to establish a practice that I could call my own.   However, I soon realized that establishing myself as a female business owner and doctor in a male dominated industry would be no easy feat.   Fast forward to 2020, I have established myself as a successful dermatologist and business owner. As my journey progressed, I somewhat foolishly believed that many of the gender specific roles placed on doctors in the past had dissipated.   However, this notion quickly vanished when one of my younger female colleagues lamented that she was struggling to get her patients to address her by her preferred title, “Doctor”.   Although I am not typically one to get hung up on the details, soon after she brought this issue to my attention I couldn’t help but notice thereafter every instance patients referred to me by my first name and not the title that I had worked so hard to gain.   No matter how hard I tr...