Register: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/9617761869650/WN_-g-Vd6IOQwm_HOP6UfIOVw
May 1, 2026 12:00 PM CDT
Speaker: Jennifer Tsai, MD, M.Ed, Attending Emergency Medicine Physician, Kaiser East Bay, St. Joseph's Hospital; Faculty, The Joint Medical Program, UC Berkeley
Race is widely used across clinical medicine, research, and education, yet its meaning and application often remain poorly defined and insufficiently interrogated. This Grand Rounds examines the historical and sociopolitical construction of race, critiques its persistent use as a biological proxy in clinical algorithms and medical training, and explores how such practices shape diagnostic reasoning and contribute to health inequities. Drawing on empirical evidence and clinical examples, this talk proposes a framework for race-conscious medicine that more accurately reflects the role of structural racism in shaping health outcomes and guides more equitable clinical practice.
Learning Objectives:
1. Reframe race in clinical medicine: Distinguish race as a social and political construct rather than a biological determinant, and critically evaluate how its misuse shapes clinical decision-making, medical education, and research.
2. Identify mechanisms of health inequity beyond biology: Analyze how structural racism—through political, socioeconomic, and environmental forces—produces measurable disparities in morbidity and mortality, and recognize why biologic explanations are insufficient.
3. Apply race-conscious clinical practice: Develop actionable strategies to move from race-based to race-conscious medicine, including recognizing race as a risk marker (not a risk factor), interrogating biased algorithms, and improving patient-centered, equitable care.
Upon request, Zoom attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance to apply for Continuing Education Units for their respective professions. You must attend a minimum of 75% of the live webinar. Health professions students are eligible for IPE credit if present for 75% or more & complete a written reflection form. form.
Event start time: 12:00 pm
Event end time: 01:00 pm