PCOM Library’s Katresa Gardner, MLIS (Public Services Librarian, SGA Campus) alongside Stacie Fairley, Ph.D. and Valerie Cadet, Ph.D. presented research on the lack of representation of diverse skin tones in medical education at the 4th National Joint Conference of Librarians of Color in St. Pete Beach, FL, on Thursday, February 9th, 2023.  This year-long project came to fruition and was a tremendous success. Part two of this initiative includes publishing an article.

 “Do You See Me?”: The Lack of Representation of Diverse Skin Tones in Medical Education

Racial Inequality and discrimination continue to be a persistent problem in healthcare. Research shows a significant lack of representation of diverse skin tone images in medical textbooks, journals, and digital media. Though a few resources exist within certain specialties that represent non-white patient images useful for medical education, few are illustrated in microbiology, pathology, and anatomy resources.

Given this lack of diversity, healthcare providers may find it challenging to identify various disease presentations in non-white patients.