Joan Y. Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School

Learning Objectives: At the end of this activity, you will be able to:

• Discuss why focusing on health equity is critical for health professionals.
• Explain why collective action is important when working toward health equity

Description: Joan Y. Reede, MD, MS, MPH, MBA, Dean for Diversity and Community Partnership at Harvard Medical School (HMS), has dedicated her career to improving the health of marginalized minority communities. At HMS, she has created more than 20 programs to help under-represented minorities and women pursue careers in medicine and health care.

In this video, Dr. Reede explains how health equity relates to the role of health care providers, describes how privilege affects discussions of health equity, and offers advice to students and professionals who are interested in working to reduce disparities between populations.

1. Have you ever seen a patient who was “left out” of the system? What did it teach you?
2. How does health equity relate to one’s responsibility as a health care provider, in Dr. Reede’s view? Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. What does Dr. Reede mean when she says, “privilege allows you to put a blinder on”? How might your perspective on health equity change depending on your social status?
4. Why does Dr. Reede encourage people to work with others to address disparities?