DEI Reflections from a First-Year Occupational Therapy Student

Posted on Jul. 6, 2023  /  DEIC  /  Subscribe 0

What do you wish your anatomy professor(s) knew about you from a diversity standpoint?

• I wish that my professors knew that I would not want to be treated differently, nor singled out because of my background. I would want to be considered the same and equal as all students. That being said, I believe that my anatomy professors (especially Dr. Michael Brown) did a spectacular job of treating all students with respect and professionalism.

You mentioned in the response to your last question that you “would not want to be treated differently, nor singled out because of [your] background. I would want to be considered the same and equal as all students.”  Can you think of situations in which you would actually want your own cultural heritage to be honored and acknowledged?  Or what about situations in which you would want to share your own unique, diverse perspectives and experiences with others—perspectives and experiences that would celebrate and honor your differences?  Do you think there are situations in which equity is more important than equality for certain marginalized populations?  In other words, do you feel that there are students from marginalized populations who would desire and benefit from resources or provisions that would alleviate stricter or greater barriers to them than their majority counterparts?  Feel free to explain.    

• The only time where I would want to my heritage to be acknowledged or singled out would be if it were for the benefit of my classmates or others such as a seminar, event, or class discussion where I would provide personal insight on my heritage and upbringing. I personally feel that receiving praise just for being a minority should not always be a spotlighted. I would rather wish to be spotlighted for my personal efforts in the community or classroom. I always think of the example that if my resume were stacked up evenly with another person, I would not wish to be chosen for the job because of my heritage, but rather for my personal connection in the interview process.
• I do believe that there are situations where marginalized populations should receive more resources or provisions, however not for being a different race or sex. I, personally, would rather see those provisions be sent to a single parent who is struggling financially/emotionally, someone who has a mental or physical disability that inhibits their learning opportunity, or someone who is putting themselves through college while having to work multiple jobs. (I feel that I am partially biased in saying this because I have seen these examples in my lifetime as a student and wished that they received more praise and help for what they were able to accomplish.)

How do you feel anatomy educators could aid in enhancing or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the anatomy classroom or laboratory?  Within academic health science curricula as a whole?

• I think that assigning groups so that each pairing has an appropriate amount of diversity can help to build awareness of cultures among students as opposed to allowing students to unconsciously isolate minorities.

How do you think “assigning groups so that each pairing has an appropriate amount of diversity can help to build awareness of cultures among students”?  How would this cultural awareness emerge for all members of the group, in your opinion?  Perhaps, you can use your own friend group as an example.

• I think that by ensuring a certain amount of diversity brings different ideas and perspectives to a group of students as well as aiding in breaking stigmas or biases. An example of this would be my anatomy lab group, I being the sole male and only person of color in my group, was placed in a leadership role. Whether I was prepared to take charge or not, that responsibility was placed upon me (I do not mean to say this in a negative way about my group members though, they were all great partners that I would love to work with again). In regards to cultural awareness, though it can be taught in a classroom, I feel that it is best learned through groups and partnership where trust and understanding can slowly take place.

Also, you alluded to the alternative scenario to this above situation in which students would “unconsciously isolate minorities.”  Have you ever witnessed this type of isolation of minorities occurring at UMMC, in your school, in your program, or in your anatomy course?  Do you feel that students often naturally self-select to engage and interact with people who look and behave like them unless prompted to diversity by faculty or administrators?  Do any of your teachers or administrators actively diversify groups in their programs or courses?

• I have witnessed the isolation of minorities take place in all settings. I feel that it happens unconsciously through people wanted to gravitate towards others that look like them. I myself did this by immediately sitting with the group of males in my class. It is a natural thing, yet I feel that creating diverse learning groups helps the learning process by bringing different perspectives and reducing bias as mentioned in the previous question. In majority, if not all, of my courses, our group projects are randomly assigned by teachers so that we are encouraged to go out of our comfort zones. I do not know if it is specifically for diversification reasons, but the randomization has in fact made my friends and I closer to other classmates in our program.

What challenges have you encountered within your anatomy classroom?  In your anatomy laboratory?  

• I have not encountered any challenges in my anatomy course due to my diverse background. Namely because I personally was able to build a friend group early on that helped one other in the class.

How has your own intersectionality impacted your experiences in your learning environments or on your institution’s campus?

• I personally have not had any negative experiences in either my learning environment nor my campus due to my race. In fact, I have had quite the opposite experience. I quickly developed a friend group that has wholeheartedly included me.

In one of your responses, you mention a friend group who “wholeheartedly included” you, and you continue to reference this friend group in other responses as well.  Could you describe this friend group in terms of its diversity (e.g., personality traits, demographics, etc.), and could you elaborate on how or the ways in which they were inclusive?

• My friend group initially began with the three other males and I in our program as we naturally gravitated towards each other due to our being severely outnumbered (males to females) in our program. As the school year went on, we slowly accumulated other members of our class into our group which normally congregates at our table during lunch. The group as it stands consists of: myself, 2 Caucasian males, 2 Caucasian females, 1 Hispanic American female, 1 African American male, and 1 native American / Caucasian female. I would like to note that we, as in the males, do not feel obligated to sit together, instead we genuinely have come to enjoy each other’s’ company and choose to spend time together.

Intersectionality is a phenomenon in which an individual identifies with two or more marginalized populations (e.g., someone who is African American and who also identifies with the LGBTQ community).  In what ways have you experienced intersectionality, if any, specifically here at UMMC?

• Other than being of Asian ethnicity, I have experienced intersectionality through being a male in my cohort. Of the 37 individuals currently in my class, I am one of four males. Though Occupational Therapy as a profession, is dominated by females, I do not have any negative feelings or shame of being a male Occupational Therapist. I rather see it as an opportunity to break the stigma surrounding OT as a female only profession.

Do you think diversity, equity, and inclusion are important considerations for the anatomy classroom? Anatomy laboratory?  Why or why not?

• I do believe that having a diverse group of students can enhance the learning experience for all students not just those in the minority group. It is common for people of similar backgrounds to connect easily. Furthermore, being that anatomy is one of the first courses taken, it can be daunting for first time students. Having a diverse cohort can allow for students to connect easier and succeed in their courses together.

Do you think diversity, equity, and inclusion are important considerations for your program?  For your school?  For your institution?  

• Similar to my reasoning for having a diverse cohort in the anatomy classroom/laboratory, I believe that diversity can also have a positive impact on the learning outcome for students in my program (Occupational Therapy). I do believe that the OTD program at the School of Health Related Professions can create a great opportunity for students to better connect on a personal level through the use of their “Group Processing” course.

In one of your responses, you mention the “Group Processing” course.  Could you please explain that course in a little more detail?

• The “Group Processing” course was a class to teach us, as occupational therapists, on how to manage and deal with the process of building a long-lasting bond with our patients yet being able to cope with the possibility of losing a patient to various reasons. The course also taught us the important stages of working with others due to our profession being involved with so many others such as Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Nurses, Social Workers, etc. I believe that this course was also intended to act as a time and space for my class mates and I to learn more about each other. We were randomly assigned into groups in which we would have opportunities to learn deep and meaningful things about each other. I think that it would also be important to note that this course also spent a great deal of time teaching us about our own personal biases and cultural competence.

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