Building a More Inclusive Environment: Lessons Learned From Two Years of Microaggression Workshops

Microaggressions are common in medicine and are increasingly recognized as significant barriers to inclusion, belonging, and effective patient care. In 2020, an interprofessional group of educators set out to develop a microaggression workshop based on research available at the time. The workshop was launched in early 2022 and has been attended by over 1400 participants to date. This report outlines the approach taken, the workshop's effectiveness, and the lessons learned from 2 years of offering the workshop to multiple audiences virtually and in person. Participants completed pre- and postsurveys, and surveys 1 and 3 months after the workshop. After the workshop, participants' confidence in recognizing microaggressions and responding to microaggressions increased significantly, almost 20 points on a 100-point scale in each category from the presurvey to the postsurvey and remained increased at both the 1- and 3-month time points. Results are consistent with research demonstrating that such workshops are effective and further demonstrate that they can be delivered effectively at scale. Based on the authors' experience facilitating dozens of workshop sessions, they conclude that storytelling is more effective to engage the audience than sharing research data, that facilitators must remain sensitive to the potential for retraumatization of participants, and that knowledge differences among participants are notable.