Anti-racism structures in academic dentistry: Supporting underrepresented racially/ethnically diverse faculty
Sonya G Smith1, Pamela Berry Banks1, Emilia C Istrate1
1Department of Access, Diversity and Inclusion, American Dental Education Association, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Journal of Public Health Dentistry
|June 21, 2022
Summary
Racialized barriers hinder the recruitment and retention of diverse faculty in U.S. dental schools. Implementing an antiracism framework is crucial to dismantle structural racism and promote equity for historically underrepresented racially/ethnically diverse (HURE) faculty.
Area of Science:
- Dental Education
- Health Equity
- Racial Justice in Academia
Background:
- Historically underrepresented racially/ethnically diverse (HURE) faculty face significant barriers in U.S. dental schools.
- Structural racism and its legacy perpetuate biases and power imbalances, negatively impacting HURE faculty.
- A critical shortage of HURE dentists and faculty exists nationwide.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe racialized barriers to recruiting and retaining HURE faculty in U.S. dental schools.
- To link these barriers to structural racism.
- To assist dental schools in eliminating these hurdles using an antiracism framework.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of trends in racial/ethnic composition of dental school faculty.
- Examination of parity gaps between dentists and the U.S. population by race/ethnicity.
- Literature review on faculty of color recruitment/retention, diversity toolkits, and antiracism frameworks.
Main Results:
- Significant racialized barriers impede HURE faculty recruitment and retention in dental schools.
- Existing biases, stereotypes, and power structures rooted in historical racism harm HURE faculty.
- An antiracism framework is essential to address systemic inequities and racialized policies.
Conclusions:
- Addressing the shortage of HURE faculty requires disrupting institutional practices rooted in structural racism.
- Dental schools must adopt antiracism models to foster equitable environments.
- Strategic initiatives are needed to support HURE faculty and promote diversity in dental education.
Related Concept Videos
02:55Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
91.4K
Humans are very diverse and although we share many similarities, we also have many differences. The social groups we belong to help form our identities (Tajfel, 1974). These differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile, which may lead to prejudice toward people who are different. Prejudice is a negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on one’s membership in a particular social group (Allport, 1954; Brown, 2010). Prejudice is common against people who...
91.4K
01:27Ethnic Identity within a Larger Culture
85
Adolescents from ethnic minority backgrounds face a multifaceted journey in forming their identities, shaped by the intersections of cultural expectations and personal exploration. For these adolescents, identity formation involves not only typical developmental challenges but also navigating the perceptions and attitudes of the majority culture. As they grow, adolescents in ethnic minority groups often become increasingly aware of stereotypes, social biases, and discrimination, all of which...
85
02:16Surveys
15.3K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
15.3K
02:09Stereotype Threat and Self-fulfilling Prophecies
38.7K
When we hold a stereotype about a person, we have expectations that he or she will fulfill that stereotype. A self-fulfilling prophecy is an expectation held by a person that alters his or her behavior in a way that tends to make it true. When we hold stereotypes about a person, we tend to treat the person according to our expectations. This treatment can influence the person to act according to our stereotypic expectations, thus confirming our stereotypic beliefs. Research by Rosenthal and...
38.7K
01:31Confirmation Biases
7.1K
The confirmation bias is the tendency to focus on information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that is inconsistent with our expectations. For example, if you think that your professor is not very nice, you notice all of the instances of rude behavior exhibited by the professor while ignoring the countless pleasant interactions he is involved in on a daily basis. Have you ever fallen prey to the confirmation bias, either as the source or target of such bias?
7.1K
02:16Stereotype Content Model
14.9K
The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) was first proposed by Susan Fiske and her colleagues (Fiske, Cuddy, Glick & Xu, 2002; see also Fiske, 2012 and Fiske, 2017). The SCM specifies that when someone encounters a new group, they will stereotype them based on two metrics: warmth—or that group’s perceived intent, and how likely they are to provide help or inflict harm—and competence—or their ability to carry out that objective. Depending on the warmth-competence...
14.9K