AAPI Bias in Healthcare Seminar with BCA’s AMST ‘28
On Monday, June 15th, sophomores in the Academy for Medical Science Technology (AMST) at the Bergen County Academies watched an informative seminar in honor of the earlier AAPI Heritage Month. Isabella Oh (President & Founder) and Zach Powell (Chief of Education) of Pulse Parity presented to 60+ students on biases surrounding AAPI in healthcare, highlighting the model minority myth as a foundation for AAPI bias. This idea frames Asian Americans as entirely self-sufficient, or “low need”, based on the false perception that Asian Americans are almost always economically and academically achieved. Listeners were introduced to Diane, a member of the AAPI community who experienced the unfairness of the model minority myth when she was younger.
Our presentation addressed a problem surrounding stereotypes and bias that many tend to miss: though subconscious, many of us use them daily to make quicker decisions and bypass cognitive load. This can be undoubtedly problematic, particularly for the people these stereotypes dehumanize. Time and time again, biases are shown to linger within the healthcare community. It is up to future healthcare workers to acknowledge these biases and take steps forward to ensure the impartial treatment of patients.
Students reflected on a provider’s ambiguous statements and considered how the statement may have been well-intentioned, made a patient feel dismissed, and how the provider could communicate more respectfully. Out of 55 respondents on the reflection survey, 90% reported that the seminar increased their understanding of AAPI bias in healthcare, while 93% felt more prepared to communicate with patients from different cultural backgrounds respectfully and openly.
Our presentation was highly received by AMST sophomores and Anatomy & Physiology teacher Dr. Judith Pinto, who encouraged similar informative presentations for the upcoming year. She particularly commented on how, to this day, diverse backgrounds are often faced with physicians who make false assumptions based on their ethnicity. Pulse Parity plans on delivering many more seminars with a goal of spreading awareness of harmful biases in the medical landscape and encouraging impartial decision-making.