The Importance of Representation in Healthcare
By: Emma Johnson
One of the main reasons I applied for and accepted this internship was to learn more about social inequality and to think critically about how what I learned applies to the community around me. During the onboarding of this internship, I had the opportunity to jump in and start learning immediately. One piece of information that stood out to me led to a pattern of thought I wanted to document.
Donzel Leggett mentions in his podcast episode on Racism in Healthcare that only 2.5% of doctors are Black women. Upon hearing this statistic, I was immediately reminded of a class I took that focused on the role of women in politics. In this class, we learned about a theory that stated sexual assault in the military will decrease once women comprise a certain percentage, theorized to be 20%, of the military’s makeup. This percentage is referred to as “critical mass.”
It is vitally important for us, as a society, to encourage Black people, and more specifically Black women, to pursue careers in healthcare. Dr. Tamika Lasege discusses her experiences as a Black female doctor and how Black people are treated in healthcare during the podcast episode. She often faces doubts about her ability to treat patients and sees firsthand the myths about Black people in the medical community. If critical mass can be reached for Black people in the healthcare field, this may lead to a decrease in the prevalent racism in our healthcare system. A similar idea to critical mass theory is referenced when Dr. Lasege mentions an article that proved Black babies died less frequently when cared for by a Black physician. By involving more Black doctors in research, patient care, writing medical textbooks, and other areas, we can ensure that Black patients receive equal and attentive medical treatment.
Dr. Lasege has a powerful statement in the podcast episode about focusing on healthcare inequalities and holding those in charge accountable, I encourage you to revisit the episode and listen to it. Representation matters. Continue to speak up to those in power until Black people reach critical mass in healthcare and every other field.
