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Lessons In Professionalism: Ending the Action Gap. The Black Doctors Intelligence Group and a White Female Martyr for
Richard D deShazo1, Carmel M McNicholas2, Craig J Hoesley1
1Departments of Medical Education1 and Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology.
The American Journal of Medicine
|August 3, 2026
Summary
Despite scientific advances, American healthcare faces an "action gap" where ethical principles aren't translated into systemic reform. Reconnecting medical training to professionalism can bridge this gap for better health equity.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Equity
- Professionalism in Medicine
Background:
- The US healthcare system underperforms in health outcomes and equity despite high spending.
- A persistent
- action gap
- exists between recognizing healthcare inequities and implementing corrective actions.
- The Physician Charter defines professionalism as a social contract for patient welfare, social justice, and equitable care access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore why physicians and healthcare systems fail to translate ethical principles into systemic reform.
- To identify the barriers to operationalizing professionalism obligations.
- To examine how medical education can foster actionable professionalism.
Main Methods:
- A literature review was conducted.
- The review focused on professionalism, health equity, medical education, and medical history.
- Historical examples of actionable professionalism were analyzed.
Main Results:
- A persistent
- action gap
- and a failure of professionalism were identified.
- Physicians and institutions struggle to operationalize their professional obligations.
- Historical figures and groups demonstrate how professionalism can drive action.
Conclusions:
- The transition to Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) offers a chance to integrate professionalism.
- Medical training must reconnect with the ethical foundations of medicine to address systemic inequities.
- Actionable professionalism, exemplified by historical role models, is crucial for meaningful reform.
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