Crisis Point: Improving Diversity in Dermatology

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Key Takeaways

Dermatology education is evolving to include training on conditions across all skin types and cultural nuances affecting care.
Historically, dermatology has focused on lighter skin types, but strides are being made to address this bias.
HCPLive® Crisis Point series features dermatologists discussing diversity challenges, progress, and areas needing attention in dermatology education and clinical trials.

In this episode of Crisis Point, 3 experts in dermatology discuss ways in which those in the field are working to improve visibility of diverse skin types within dermatology education.

In many of the dermatology conferences held in recent years, there is a topic of notable importance to the field that is frequently discussed: improving diversity in educational materials and in clinical trial populations.

If one were to imagine a medical education system in which aspiring dermatologists are trained to recognize and treat conditions across all skin types, in which students learn the unique presentations of diseases in various ethnicities, cultural nuances affecting care, and historical biases that have long skewed medical research, this would likely be an ideal system to have in place.

The question of whether or not the dermatology world is headed in that direction remains to be seen. Historically, dermatology, like many other medical fields, has been predominantly centered around individuals with lighter skin types. Yet certain strides in the direction of improving awareness to prevent such events as misdiagnoses of different skin conditions have been made.

HCPLive® Crisis Point is an in-depth mini-docuseries which is designed to take a comprehensive look into various public health issues within the United States. These issues may have worldwide implications.

In this iteration of the series, 3 dermatologists who are also known for their work’s intersection with the topic of improving diversity in dermatology education were interviewed for their insights into the subject. These experts included:

Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH, professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine for the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, professor of dermatology and director of clinical research at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Science.

These individuals have each provided their own take on the field of dermatology’s biggest issues, progress over the past few decades, and what still may require attention to address concerns over the lack of diversity in educational materials and clinical trials.

Thank you for watching. Stay tuned for more from HCPLive Crisis Point.