WORCESTER MEDICINE
JEDI or Die
Now We Turn Unto Our Calling: Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic Continued a chaotic and deadly pandemic, sometimes while dealing with personal tragedy. However, we are left wondering if the need for such sacrifices could have been avoided, not just in our field, but in all sectors of society. Would addressing systemic inequalities have lessened suffering and dependence on emergency action by an overstretched health care system and community? Prior to this pandemic, too often medicine and public health were considered to be separate entities. This crisis has shown the dangers of that line of thinking and how medicine is the most downstream net for addressing health sequelae caused by inadequate public health interventions upstream. As current health professional trainees, we are not surprised that the gaps of health care, especially regarding health inequities, have been put in a harsh light during this pandemic. We have seen the disproportionate health and economic impact that this pandemic has had on people of color, people in the service industry, low-income families, and vulnerable populations, exacerbating inequalities that social scientists have been warning us about for decades. It is an unfortunate reality that our collective failure to take adequate action on these warnings has cost people their lives. Going forward, it is essential that we treat health inequities as an urgent public health issue and that we recognize the role of socioeconomic inequalities in health disparities. As public health becomes a more significant shared concern, there is a greater need to include a wide range of equity-minded experts representing the various concerns of the community when making decisions dealing with life and death . We must guarantee public health officials are given the credibility they deserve and have a seat at the table when decisions that will affect the health and safety of our population are discussed. We must commit to funding public health and community organizations that can address systemic issues plaguing our country from its foundation, including racism, access to care and uninformed leadership. We must empower individuals from diverse backgrounds to lead these efforts and ensure that equity is at the forefront of all levels of medical education, practice and leadership. Invigorated by these tenets and the work we have contributed over the past year, we look forward to building better representation in medicine and being a part of creating a more equitable future.
Acknowledgments: Thank you Drs. David Chiriboga and Michael Hirsh for their early guidance on this perspective piece. We’d like to acknowledge and thank the leaders of the COVID-19 Student Task Force and the faculty for their guidance and support. We’d also like to acknowledge all of the 170-plus students, community members and faculty who volunteered their time to participate in these efforts. Finally, we’d like to thank all health care workers and essential workers who risk their safety and well-being to keep Worcester going during this pandemic. +
Reference: 1. University of Massachusetts Medical School Collective Student Response To COVID-19. https://icollaborative.aamc.org/ resource/11059/. Accessed August 16, 2020.
MAY / JUNE 2021
A Cautionary Tale B. Dale Magee, MD curator
I
t is well-known that elizabeth blackwell
was the first woman in the United States to earn an MD degree in 1849. Her roundabout path to formal medical education included spending a few years making contacts and gathering allies among recognized physicians as well as studying medical subjects informally. Having applied and been rejected by dozens of medical schools, including all in Philadelphia and New York City, she resolved to approach schools located in the country, where the weight of tradition may have been less. Her application to Geneva Medical College in 1847 came accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a Philadelphia physician. The faculty, not quite knowing how to respond, turned the decision over to the students stating that it was their decision and a single negative vote would result in rejection of Ms. Blackwell’s application. They voted her in more as a source of entertainment than a commitment to equality of the sexes. Once enrolled, her sober presence and focus on study immediately quieted the normally boisterous classes. She finished first in her class and went on to blaze many more trails in medicine. Three years after her application, in 1850, three prospective Black students; Daniel Laing Jr., Isaac Snowden, Martin Delany and a woman, Harriot Kezia Hunt; applied to Harvard Medical School. Ms. Hunt —who already had been practicing medicine without a degree, like about half of physicians at the time — had previously applied and been denied admission. The then-dean, Oliver Wendell Holmes, approved the admission of all four. When the students and faculty got word of this, they voted to protest the admissions — the actual votes were a little more nuanced, but the end result was the same. Mr. Holmes was able to advocate for two of the applicants, who were subsequently admitted to Dartmouth, but, in the end, he relented to the will of the students and faculty. Mr. Holmes’ career was among the most distinguished in the country. His intelligence, critical thinking and advocacy resulted in uncovering the cause of child bed fever and drew attention to the ineffectiveness of homeopathy as well as traditional medical treatments. He was extensively educated in both the United States and Europe and brought a professor’s perspective to medicine. Beyond 19
