A Missed Opportunity to Discuss Racial and Gender Bias in Dermatology

To the Editor In the August 2016 issue of JAMA Dermatology, researchers missed an opportunity to have a candid discussion about race and gender bias in dermatological practice. In an original investigation, researchers tried to determine whether attire influenced patients’ perception of physician competence, trust, compassion, communication, and knowledge. They showed a group of predominantly white and Hispanic outpatients pictures of physicians wearing business, professional, and casual attire. Patients received a panel of 4 pictures: an African American male physician, a white male physician, an African American female physician, or a white female physician.