Why it’s important to recognize your Own bias

At the end of this activity, you will be able to: Explain why it’s important to recognize your own bias in order to reduce it. Describe at least one strategy to reduce implicit bias.

Description: David R. Williams, Professor of Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, has been researching health inequities in the United States for two decades. In this video, he sits down with Don Berwick, MD, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at IHI, to describe three promising strategies to reduce implicit bias.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you believe that implicit bias affects your interactions with people who are different from you? Did your view change based on what Williams said?
2. Describe the three strategies Williams listed to reduce implicit bias. What are some ways you could put those into practice?
3. What two factors make implicit bias more likely to occur? What do you think busy providers can do to reduce implicit bias in those situations?
4. Williams talks about the importance of envisioning life in other people’s shoes. How might your life be different if your social or economic background suddenly changed?