68 Addressing racism in health education: a toolkit for action

Abstract WKS 4: Addressing Racism in Health Education: A Toolkit for Action, B203 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 14:30 - 15:30 Racism is intimately intertwined with the history of medicine, nursing, and health education,1 impacting all learners but particularly harming students of color.2 Reducing racism-related harm that health sciences students experience during their education is an upstream tool to reduce health inequities and prevent student attrition.3 Health professions faculty can improve the quality of curricula for all students by applying antiracist tools to their courses, textbooks and programs.4 A group of midwifery educators and clinicians from the United States developed a toolkit designed to reduce racism in midwifery curricula, with broad applicability to other health professions. The toolkit includes a validated self-assessment tool, course and curriculum assessment checklists, and tools for the evaluation of racism in health professions textbooks and materials. The toolkit is available at no charge through the American College of Nurse-Midwives, which initiated the project, at https://midwife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/addressing_racism_and_advancing_equity_in_midwifery_education-a_program_content_toolkit_for_action.pdf. The toolkit can be utilized independently by individuals or by faculty groups. It has also been presented in a workshop format, allowing participants to interact with the developers and experience hands-on utilization, including support in using the tools in participants’ own syllabi and curriculum.