Speaker
Laura Houser
Director of Advocacy and Clinical Professor in the School of Medicine and Public Health
Laura Houser, M.D., is a clinical professor in the General Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and Global Health divisions of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. She is a general pediatrician at UW Health East Terrace Drive Clinic. Dr. Houser is the director of advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics and focuses her advocacy on anti-racism efforts as well as dyslexia education.
Speaking in
Health Equity Rounds: An Opportunity for Clinical and Anti-Racism Learning to Intersect
Healthcare practitioners commonly learn about the social determinants of health, which are the conditions where people live, learn, work and play that affect health risks and outcomes. However, practitioners rarely confront the healthcare system’s role in influencing the social determinants of health, particularly the elements of “social and community context” and “healthcare access and quality.” Healthcare-based institutional racism and other forms of bias contribute to health disparities between races and perpetuate mistrust of the healthcare system by those from historically marginalized groups. Racism and other forms of bias exist outside the healthcare setting, too. This session will outline how the Department of Pediatrics is addressing racism, ableism and other forms of bias in the healthcare environment through Health Equity Rounds. We will also guide participants in thinking of ways to prioritize equity work within their sectors of the university.