By Mollie Frost
Keynote speaker and interventional cardiologist Quinn Capers, MD, invited Internal Medicine Meeting attendees to put on their thinking caps during Thursday's Opening Ceremony.
He asked them to imagine a world where doctor-patient communication is uncomfortable and results in a chasm of mistrust. Where the most vulnerable, socioeconomically disadvantaged patient populations don't have enough doctors dedicated to their care. Where a patient's race or demographic influences the treatment plan, often to their detriment.
No imagination was necessary. "Welcome to our world—that's the world in which we live today," said Dr. Capers. "But I know that the ACP and all of you are dedicated to doing something about it."
During his keynote, he explained why medicine's limited diversity is the "health care crisis of our times" and offered potential solutions. But Dr. Capers, who is associate dean for faculty diversity, vice chair for diversity and inclusion, and the Rody P. Cox, MD, MACP, Professor in Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern in Dallas, also acknowledged that those trying to enhance diversity in medicine will occasionally encounter pushback. "It's important that you have an answer to the question, 'Why?' because you will get that question."
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