Brigit Carter, associate dean for Diversity and Inclusion, is a featured speaker for Fitzhugh Mullan Institute's Health Workforce Equity's Health Workforce Equity Summit "Structural Racism and Health Professions Education" on October 29 from 1 to 5 p.m.  

The Summit is an annual event that convenes stakeholders, scholars, and the public on important and timely topics relating to health disparities, equity, and the health workforce. Longstanding racial inequities exposed by COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement contributed to the decision to focus this year’s summit on priorities and strategies to increase diversity in the health workforce.

The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black and Latinx communities illustrates the significance that structural factors, including those within health systems, have on health outcomes. A health workforce more representative of the U.S. population can help to reduce health disparities by increasing access to care and improving outcomes. Training and working alongside a diverse workforce improves the cultural competence of all providers and prepares them to respond to the needs of the entire population. Opportunities for satisfying and well-paying careers is also a step toward achieving health workforce equity; yet, Black and Latinx workers remain concentrated in entry-level, low-paying fields and underrepresented in health professions requiring advanced degrees.

The overall goal of this year’s Summit is to identify barriers to increasing diversity in health professions and actions to address those barriers.