1. Maria B.J. Chun, Ph.D., CHC, CPC-A University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Surgery, Honors Program DiversityRx Conference Oakland, CA March 12, 2013 Teaching Cultural Competency to Future Physicians

2. Objectives Discuss the impetus for the initial course Present how the course has evolved over time (including strengths and difficulties) Share information on the new course that has been developed Welcome feedback from other panelists, audience

3. Background Instructor Trained in community and cultural psychology Conducts research on cultural competency in medicine (e.g., measuring efficacy of cultural training, cultural standardized patient exams) Based in the UHM Department of Surgery, which is a part of the John A. Burns School of Medicine Responded to course development call by UHM Honors Program

4. Honors 491 (2) – Cultural Competency for the Health Professions First taught in Fall 2009 Intended for all students (i.e., multidisciplinary) Taught from the perspective of psychology, medicine, and anthropology Focus was on premedical students Plan by prior Honors Director was to make the course mandatory for all premedical Honors’ students Average class size 8 to 11 students

5. Course Topics/Main Points Culture is defined very broadly; there is no standardized definition of culture When discussing culture, it needs to be viewed from multiple perspectives and placed within context Cultural competency is not a bad term Inclusion of cultural humility, social justice perspectives

6. Sample Syllabus http://www.honors.hawaii.edu/courses/course_description.php?course_id=210

8. Course Highlights Students taught research process and work on either a literature review or a research proposal (in preparation for Honors’ thesis) on a topic of their choice Topic must have a “cultural” and “health” focus Guest speakers – Health sciences librarians, cultural experts, M.D.s, Ph.D.s Field visits – Community health clinic (Kokua Kalihi Valley); UH Medical School Blogging on course readings

9. Inaugural Class All but one student was premed Very bright students – most were double majors pursuing degrees in both basic sciences and social sciences/arts

10. Strengths Highly verbal class, enjoyed discussing topics Most had strong writing skills Most had an easy time selecting a topic Diverse cultural/ethnic backgrounds, ages, life experiences Responded to constructive criticism positively; revisions always showed improvement

11. Difficulties Some students were offended/alienated by other class members during discussions on social justice Despite this being a junior-level Honors course, some students had no clue on how to conduct a basic literature search, how to obtain a copy of a journal article To make up for this “deficiency,” class can get bogged down in process and lose sight of content Those not premed can sometimes feel left out Diverse ethnicity, ages

12. Addressing Difficulties Better gauged students’ experience and maturity levels Assess students’ skills up front; adjust class accordingly After a certain point, need to let go of having students become expert researchers Focus the course on medicine, but include perspectives from other disciplines – interdisciplinary Embrace the diversity, utilize it to help teach the course

13. Summary/Conclusion Teaching the potential impact of “culture” in health care can be challenging, but is mostly rewarding Discussions and interactions reflect the “real world” Premedical training can serve as a good basis for future lessons at the UME and GME levels

14. My New Class http://www.honors.hawaii.edu/courses/course_description.php ?course_id=287 Developing Resources for Cross Cultural Health Care (aka Cultural Competency for the Health Professions 2.0) Students spend the entire class developing a resource that will assist patients, providers, organizations, etc.

15. Thank You! Email: mariachu@hawaii.edu CCHC 2015: www.cchc-conference.com