HEALTH EQUITY
HELLO !
My name is Michelle Vann and I am a senior in high school. My pronouns are she/her and I am 18 years old. I am an Asian American woman born and raised in the bay area. I am in the Ethnic Studies Social Justice academy and everyday I am educating myself on the history of my ancestors and other communities who suffered under the hands of those in power. I am passionate about decolonizing mental health/education, intersectional feminism, and building bridges between communities to join as one. I am still learning about my different identities and communities and I hope I can contribute to a change for the better. I strive to make the future a better place for those I love and future generations.
MY PRAXIS TOPIC:
I will be focusing on the racial bias in the medical field/curriculum and how it can be harmful to BIPOC communities. Not only that but health disparities; the impact a lack of resources and socioeconomic class has on health.
WHY?
Race is a social construct made to divide and back then it was used to try to justify how one racial group was more superior than the other. There was no real scientific explanation for superiority; it was just to keep the power group in control. In the medical course being taught, there are sections differentiating pain tolerance and body reactions based on race. This causes racial bias once entering the work field and can harm BIPOC and other minorities in the long run. BIPOC women are constantly invalidated and denied the medication they need because it is taught in the curriculum that they have higher pain tolerances or are over dramatic. It is important to address this issue because if bias is getting in the way of treating marginalized patients correctly, this could harm specific communities causing more serious health conditions in the future and in future generations.
CONNECTIONS
I chose this topic because I plan on going into the medical field in the future and ff this is something I am going to be studying of course I’m going to challenge the courses being taught. Although I’m not specifically going into ehtnic studies I believe ethnic studies can still be applied to any field or career choice.
QUOTE
“There is no such thing as race. None. There is just a human race - scientifically, anthropologically.” -Toni Morrison