Browsing by Author "Tucker-Edmonds, Brownsyne"

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    The Conscientious Use of Images Illustrating Diversity in Medical Education Marketing
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2020) Hernandez, Rachael; Hoffmann-Longtin, Krista; Patrick, Shawn; Tucker-Edmonds, Brownsyne; Livingston, Nikki; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
    An institution's marketing materials are an important part of presenting its culture. In 2018, communication professionals in the Office of Faculty Affairs, Professional Development, and Diversity at the Indiana University School of Medicine recognized after reviewing the literature that using images illustrating diversity in marketing materials may have unintended negative consequences and could potentially reflect poorly on the institution. Representations of diversity that are discordant with the actual demographics of an institution can create distrust among faculty, students, and staff who discover an institution is not as diverse or supportive of diversity as their marketing materials suggest. If institutions adopt an aspirational approach to images and depict more diversity than actual demographics reflect, the authors of this Perspective recommend that they both develop marketing materials that present a widely diverse selection of images and demonstrate transparency in their communication strategies.To improve their promotional materials, the authors conducted an analysis of their institution's strategy for selecting images for these materials, identified institutional goals related to the strategic use of images, created training materials for staff, and drafted a public-facing statement about diversity in images. These measures are a significant step forward in cultivating the ethical use of images illustrating diversity. In the future, institutions should highlight their approaches to using images to portray diversity, as well as photograph and document a wide range of events that represent diverse topics and individuals. When these images are used for marketing purposes, it is also important to ensure that they are used in an appropriate context and not selected with the single goal of presenting diversity. Future research should focus on how underrepresented students and faculty interpret the use of diverse images in marketing, as well as their preferences for the use of their own images in marketing materials portraying diversity.
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    Responding to patient requests for women obstetrician-gynecologists
    (Elsevier, 2021) Shalowitz, David I.; Tucker-Edmonds, Brownsyne; Marshall, Mary-Faith; White, Amina; Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
    Patients may request care from a woman obstetrician-gynecologist for various reasons, including privacy concerns, religious or cultural reasons, and in some cases, a history of abuse. They should be given the opportunity to voice their reasons for requesting a woman obstetrician-gynecologist but should not be compelled to do so. Respect for patient autonomy is a compelling reason to consider honoring a patient’s gender-based request. When a patient requests a woman obstetrician-gynecologist, efforts should be made to accommodate the request if possible. However, medical professionals and institutions are not ethically obligated to have a woman obstetrician-gynecologist on call or to make one available at all times. If it is not feasible for a woman obstetrician-gynecologist to provide care because of staffing or other system constraints or patient safety concerns, accommodation is not required, and physicians do not have an overriding responsibility to ensure that patients receive gender-concordant care. Patients have the right to decline care and may choose to seek care elsewhere if their requested healthcare provider type is not available. Institutions and medical clinics should have policies and procedures in place for managing patient requests for women obstetrician-gynecologists, and patients should be made aware of these policies preemptively. These policies and procedures should include information about whom to contact for assistance and how to document the encounter. They should also be accessible and familiar to physicians and trainees. Care should be taken to ensure that adequate educational opportunities in obstetrics and gynecology are available for all medical trainees, regardless of gender.