Designing Effective Mentorship for Underrepresented Faculty in Academic Medicine.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A dearth of training and resources exists for mentors to address the unique needs of faculty from racial/ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine (URiM). Mentoring Underrepresented Faculty for Academic Excellence (MUFAE) was a multi-institutional mentoring program designed to provide mentors where there were none. METHODS: In 2020, 25 early career URiM faculty mentees each were paired with advanced faculty, and pairs met individually for monthly calls for 1 year. Mentees completed pre- and postassessment surveys regarding their experience in the program. Mentees and mentors also participated in virtual group check-ins where they gave feedback on their experience to program leaders while also networking with fellow participants. RESULTS: Twenty-two of the 25 mentor-mentee pairs (88%) completed the program, and 17 of the 22 (77%) mentees completed the pre- and postsurveys. Survey responses showed significant increases in mentees reports of feeling they received mentorship focused on their needs as URiM faculty members, feeling equipped to advance in their careers, and feeling supported in their efforts to complete antiracism/health-equity programs. Feedback at the check-ins indicated that URiM mentors appreciated the opportunities to talk about their own frustrations and that White mentors appreciated having an increased understanding of challenges that their URIM colleagues faced. CONCLUSIONS: MUFAE is a model for academic societies to address the lack of mentors for URiM faculty. Mentees and mentors found the experience a meaningful one that fills a need in academic mentoring.

Learner Reactions to Activities Exploring Racism as a Social Determinant of Health.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Racism's impact on health has been well documented. Health professional programs are beginning to help learners understand this social determinant of health through curricular integration of education related to racism. Yet educators are hesitant to integrate these concepts into curricula because of lack of expertise or fear associated with learner responses to this potentially sensitive topic. The purpose of this study is to describe the responses of learners to learning sessions on racism as a social determinant of health (SDOH) highlighting structural, personally-mediated, and internalized racism. METHODS: Two separate groups-a family and community medicine (FCM) residency program (N=23) and a community health leadership program (N=14)-participated in lectures and workshops on internalized, personally-mediated, and structural sources of racism, and tours introducing them to the local community's historical roots of structural racism, including discussions/reflections on racism's impact on health and health care. Mixed-methods evaluation consisted of learner assessments and reflections on the experiences. RESULTS: FCM sessions received a positive reception with session averages of 4.15 to 4.75, based on a Likert-type scale (1=did not meet expectations to 5=exceeded expectations). Thematic analysis of community health leadership participant reflections showed thought processing connected to a better understanding of racism. Overall, themes from both programs reflected positive experiences of the sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study findings suggest that educators who encounter internal or external barriers to integrating racism-related concepts into curricula might find that these concepts are well received. This study lays the groundwork for further research into best practices for integration of curriculum on racism as an SDOH for medical schools, residency programs, and other related educational settings.