Racial Justice Curricula in Family Medicine Residency Programs: A CERA Survey of Program Directors

Structural racism is a cause of health disparities. Graduate medical education is tasked with training physicians who understand and address disparities. Addressing health disparities includes education on racism, such as racial justice curricula (RJC). We surveyed program directors (PDs) about the prevalence and characteristics of RJC in family medicine residency programs (FMRPs).

RJC questions were included in the 2020 Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research (CERA) survey of FMRP PDs. We calculated univariate and bivariate statistics to describe respondent characteristics and attitudes, program characteristics, curriculum characteristics, and barriers to implementation.

Of 624 PDs, 312 (50%) responded and 283/312 (90.7%) completed RJC questions. Less than one-third of FMRPs reported RJC, of which 98.9% focused on implicit/unconscious bias. Program characteristics associated with RJC included location, percent underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMM) residents and faculty, and percent patients identifying as Black, Latino/a, and Native American. FMRPs with RJC were more likely to have PDs who reported favorable attitudes toward including RJC and believed it is important for family physicians to understand structural racism. The greatest barrier to implementation of RJC was lack of faculty training.

In this national survey, most FMRPs reported no RJC. Most respondent PDs endorsed that it is important for family physicians to understand structural racism and that RJC should be included in residency. Lack of faculty training was the greatest barrier to implementation. Research is needed to evaluate existing RJC and explore strategies for overcoming barriers to implemention.