Session Design Submission Review

Yes

• Communications
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Our multidimensional personal identities interact with our professional identities as surgeons and trainees to impact how we are perceived and perceive others in our work environments. Often, the lack of awareness of these identities can result in negative implicit bias toward colleagues and patients. Implicit bias is well-documented to impact health outcomes for patients and results in health and healthcare disparities via patient-clinical communication, clinical decision making, and institutionalized practices.

This DEI workshop leverages interactive learning techniques, including role-playing, paired discussions, and group debriefings, to facilitate a deeper understanding of implicit bias in clinical settings. The workshop is intended for surgical residents, surgical faculty, and program directors. It begins with self-reflection exercises, where learners examine their identities and potential biases using tools such as the Identity Wheel and the Wheel of Power/Privilege​. These activities help participants recognize blind spots in their awareness of how identity shapes interactions with patients and colleagues​. Thereafter, participants will engage in a clinical scenario where implicit biases influence decision-making, communication, and patient care. After this scenario, participants will engage in guided dyad and group discussions to reflect on their experiences, the biases they observed, and how these influenced their decisions. Finally, participants are exposed to the IDEAL framework, which teaches a structured approach to addressing bias in real-time. This model emphasizes the importance of recognizing bias, deciding to act, and effectively communicating to resolve the situation​.

Overall, this DEI workshop is designed to equip healthcare professionals with the tools to identify and confront implicit bias in clinical settings. By fostering self-awareness, encouraging reflection on personal and systemic biases, and practicing intervention techniques, the workshop aims to improve the quality of patient care and the inclusivity of healthcare environments. The immersive role-playing exercises and structured feedback loops help participants translate their learning into actionable steps that can be applied in daily practice.

This workshop was piloted at a single institution with surgical trainees with largely positive feedback. The long-term goals of this workshop includes expansion across surgical training programs. Our continued piloting of this workshop to a more expansive set of participants, including faculty and trainees through ASE will allow for generalizability across a diverse group of surgical educators. This workshop will give participants tools that can be shared within their respective institutions to promote surgical equity.

90-minute workshop

Yes

Yes

Reflect on one’s own identity and develop self-awareness of individual biases

Practice techniques and language to use in real time to confront/challenge implicit biases

Recognize how bias (interpersonal and that of others) may impact how they communicate with others (e.g. how they sign-out to a colleague)