A new study conducted by medical school students and faculty at the University of Minnesota found that medical students of all racial backgrounds disproportionately come from affluent backgrounds. The study raises questions about the importance of socioeconomic diversity and the potential impact on health care.
Why do you feel the need to put words in my mouth? Wealth inequality is fucked and it’s worldwide and I can’t fix it. I’m already anti capitalist but there are other injustices that fuel my rage, I only have so much rage to spend before I get exhausted.
This isn’t corruption. I’ll edit/repeat what I said in another comment: These studies, although obvious, are necessary because it’s the first step in figuring out where the best places to target are in order to change it. It’s basically breaking it down into smaller parts so that people can fix it. It’s step 1 as well as a “stop and re-evaluate” step. Tackling something this big takes monumental effort by both big and small players and you are basically fighting capital the entire way. It’s tactics. Chances are, this researcher will then go on to publish possible avenues to solving this but they’re never as big headlines.
I had trouble with understanding this with my own writing, but my supervisor said even though it’s obvious, someone has to literally compile and say it. It’s good to have checks on these things, though.
Necessary to WHOM? EL5 it for me
If you want to fix the problem, you need to understand its causes and its effects. Studies like this look for the causes to target and who is most affected so that the medical community can take action to fix those internal things. By understanding the root causes, educators, policymakers, and medical institutions can develop more inclusive policies and programs. Such interventions could include financial assistance, mentorship programs, and community outreach to ensure that aspiring doctors from all walks of life have equal opportunities.
Not only do these studies look at this, but they also look at the effects that it has on treatment so that doctors etc. can tackle their own biases. This is not just about equal representation; it’s about ensuring that our future doctors are diverse in their experiences and perspectives, which can lead to better patient care and more innovative solutions in healthcare.
Practically speaking, this study also provides the necessary sound background so that these medicinal and interested bodies can get funding (they will have to propose their spending and methodology on applications) and have sound understanding and backing to go after this problem provided that they have the necessary tools (including capital) to do so. It’s collating what we already know and testing it to make sure that they are doing the best job they can.
Science is dreadfully slow and progress happens when these ideas get cemented so people can just move on rather than just skirting around the actual issues at different angles. We tend to take it for granted because we see it in so many repeated experiences in daily life, but sometimes this blinds us too to parts that desperately need to be addressed. It can also be dangerous to rush these things as well, and people will get left behind or hurt by assumptions!
For these authors, it looks like they are interested in taking this towards university settings and admissions. Others will use this application to bolster their own applications to tackle this at different angles/regions.
When I see obvious titles like this, my first question is: Where are they taking this? These studies are always the start of something, not the end. It’s basically doing background research and building your team before making your proposal for solutions.
Edit: Don’t down vote people asking important questions or for clarification. You were them once.