Perspectives on health and cultural pluralism: ethics in medical education

To be responsive to the needs of today's pluralistic society, physicians require an understanding of the essential link between culture, power and ethical practice. Using a case example, the authors argue that medical educators need to: (a) critically consider how the educative process joins medical knowledge and power; (b) develop pedagogy that can bring questions of power, culture and ethics to the forefront during the process of medical knowledge construction; and (c) create an opportunity for students to learn how to work collaboratively with diverse cultures and values.