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Critical Data Literacy: Addressing race as a variable in a preclinical medical education session: Session Delivery

This guide is designed to accompany and supplement the poster presented by Susan Koenig and Stacy Brody at MLA Annual 2021.

When students ask, Is this patient “white”?

Definitions for Racial and Ethnic Categories
The Revisions to OMB Directive 15 defines each racial and ethnic category as follows:

  • American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.
  • Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
  • Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black or African American."
  • Hispanic or Latino. A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term, "Spanish origin," can be used in addition to "Hispanic or Latino."
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
  • White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

National Institutes of Health. NOT-OD-15-089: Racial and Ethnic Categories and Definitions for NIH Diversity Programs and for Other Reporting Purposes [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2020 Dec 23]. Available from: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not-od-15-089.html

Race is a Social Construct

Chadha N, Lim B, Kane M, Rowland B. Section 3.1: Heart Disease and Race — Institute for Healing & Justice in Medicine [Internet]. Institute for Healing &  Justice in Medicine. 2020 [cited 2021 Mar 10]. Available from: https://www.instituteforhealingandjustice.org/section-31-heart-disease-and-race

Roberts D. The problem with race-based medicine [Internet]. 2015. (TEDMED 2015). Available from: https://www.ted.com/talks/dorothy_roberts_the_problem_with_race_
based_medicine?language=en. 
 

Where is the evidence that the calculator over- or underestimates risk for some groups?

Show continuous evolution of evidence and guidance, including validation studies. 

Direct students to calculator 'Resources', particularly the section on 'Ethnicity Issues in Risk Evaluation'.

The ASCVD Risk Estimator+ links to Resources for clinicians and users