Advancing Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Psychiatry Graduate Medical Education

Common influential factors included having an impact on the Black community and the influence of “strong females” (as perceived by the students when noting this about women in their personal and professional lives as those who motivated them or offered them opportunities) or Black role models. Other factors included a desire for advocacy and a better personality match with psychiatry, where students get more time to connect with their patients, and cultural events (including how mental health can be perceived differently in Black communities). Roberts [5] urges us to prioritize the role of belonging in health education and the health care system: the key to respectful inclusion and diversity is a greater understanding of belonging. While it is important for clinicians to understand the psychosocial influences, cultural beliefs, and impact of race on a patient’s life, clinicians are encouraged to consider interpersonal exploration of their biases and their effect on the patient’s treatment as a step toward eliminating health care provider bias [27].