Giselle Lynch and Evan Wiley were among 25 students at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai who enrolled in a new elective course last spring that challenged them to explore their personal biases while teaching them about race as a social determinant of health.

The class, called “Deconstructing Race and Medicine,” encouraged the students to delve into racial disparities to better understand the role of culture in health and well-being. It was sponsored by the school’s Center for Multicultural and Community Affairs (CMCA). CMCA has been providing Mount Sinai students with the skills, experiences, knowledge, and resources needed to become culturally competent health care providers for diverse patient populations since 1998.

Classes such as this enable students to “address head on the role of race” and possibly develop a greater understanding of how their own unconscious biases influence their behavior, says Ann-Gel Palermo, DrPH, MPH, Course Faculty Advisor and Associate Director of Operations for CMCA.

“Trust is crucial and key to a doctor-patient relationship,” says Mr. Wiley, now a second-year student who is interested in pursuing a career in community-based medicine. “It’s easy to imagine how a racist attitude can disrupt or damage that trust.”

Ms. Lynch, also in her second year, says the class not only allowed her to engage in challenging conversations, but gave her the opportunity to create new relationships with students who are committed to transforming dialogue into action.