Dismantling Racism: Building Anti-Racist Psychiatrists

On June 4, 2020 NYCPS hosted a Town Hall on Systemic Racism and Healthcare Inequities hosted by our Minority Affairs, P4CE, and Residents' Committees. Recognizing that dismantling racism takes time and ongoing work, NYCPS has decided to host a new series dedicated to helping psychiatrists break down the racist systems in place, while also helping to bring awareness, education, reflection, and empathy to build a community of anti-racist psychiatrists. Click here or scroll below to view previous installments. This series promises to be ongoing.

Click here for a list of anti-racist resources, including books, media, and actions you can take.

Previous Installments

2024
10: The Treatment to Prison Pipeline with Shabnam Javdani, PhD, McKenzie N Berezin, MPhil, and Keisha April, JD, PhD.

2023
9: The Overmedication of Black Patients with Utsha G. Khatri, M.D., MSHP and Ari B. Friedman, M.D., PhD

2022
7: Dismantling Racism: An NYCPS Townhall
8: Whiteness: The Dangerous and Damaging Illusion of Power with Christine Schmidt LCSW, CGP

2021
5: Asian in America and in Mental Health with Teresa Lee, M.D.
6: A Collaborative Event: Moving Forward Together

2020
1: Addressing Racism in Psychiatry with Cheryl Wills, M.D., DFAPA
2: Engaging Diversity Through the Therapist’s Being Moved: Radical Openness and the Patient Who Is ‘Other’ with Anton Hart, PhD
3: An Exploration of Structural Racism and its Effect on the Practice of Psychiatry in the US Correctional System with Nadia Oryema, M.D. and Lauren Stossel, M.D.
4. Dismantling Racism in Our Health System: The Time is Now with Kamini Doobay, M.D., MS


2024 SERIES (Installments 10 and continuing)

Series 10
Wednesday, January 24, 2024 7:30 PM
The Treatment to Prison Pipeline
Speakers: Shabnam Javdani, PhD, McKenzie N Berezin, MPhil, and Keisha April, JD, PhD


2023 SERIES (Installment 9)

Series 9
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 7:30 PM
The Overmedication of Black Patients
Speakers: Utsha G. Khatri, MD, MSHP and Ari B. Friedman, MD, PhD


2022 SERIES (Installment 7 & 8)

Series 7- Dismantling Racism: An NYCPS Townhall
Thursday, March 31, 2022 7:30 PM
Recently, national attention has been refocused on the culture of racism, sexism, and unconscious bias occurring within the psychiatric field. NYCPS hosted a townhall for members to discuss actions we can take as a profession towards equity and inclusion.


Series 8
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 7:30 PM
Whiteness: The Dangerous and Damaging Illusion of Power
Speaker: Christine Schmidt LCSW, CGP

In the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, many Americans became introspective about what it meant to be racialized (black, white, or non-black person of color) in America, what their role was in this imbalanced social construct, and contemplating ways to right the scales of justice. Whiteness is a dimension of racism that elevates the rights, values, beliefs, and experiences of people who are called white over people of color. Built on false theories and assumptions about race, it introduces a toxic dynamic into relationships and the environments in which relationships occur. Led by Christine Schmidt, LCSW, CGP, this workshop explored how the ideology and practices of whiteness are damaging to people of all racial identities and how those privileged by this identity can confront racism.


2021 SERIES (Installments 5 & 6)

Series 5
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 7:30 PM
Asian in America and in Mental Health
Speaker: Teresa Lee, M.D.


Series 6- A Collaborative Event: Moving Forward Together
August 11, 2021 6:30 PM
In partnership with Riders for Black Lives and Asians Fighting Injustice, this panel brought together Black and Asian women to explore their differences and similarities as women, and also how tensions between both of these communities work to keep them both oppressed, i.e. the model minority myth. The Black and Asian solidarity speaker series is a collaboration between two NY-based activist groups, Riders for Black Lives and Asians Fighting Injustice. Over the last year, we have seen a rise in the Black Lives Matter movement and #StopAsianHate in response to police brutality in the Black community and Anti-Asian hate crimes. During this event, panelists from Black and Asian communities will do a deep dive into a topic that affects their community and explore similarities and differences to gain a deeper understanding. Each topic will shed light on the psychological experiences that racism and discrimination have on these communities ultimately helping psychiatrists to empathize and understand their patient's experiences. This event's aim is to help foster the development of culturally competent psychiatrists who are aware of the social structures that affect their patients.


2020 SERIES (Installments 1- 4)

August- Series 1
Thursday, August 27, 2020 7:00 PM
Addressing Racism in Psychiatry
Speaker: Cheryl Wills, M.D., DFAPA


September- Series 2
Tuesday, September 22, 2020 7:00 PM

Engaging Diversity Through the Therapist’s Being Moved: Radical Openness and the Patient Who Is ‘Other’
Speaker: Anton Hart, PhD


October- Series 3
Thursday, October 15, 2020 7:00 PM
An Exploration of Structural Racism and its Effect on the Practice of Psychiatry in the US Correctional System
Speakers: Nadia Oryema, M.D. and Lauren Stossel, M.D.


November- Series 4
Thursday, November 12, 2020 7:00 PM
Dismantling Racism in Our Health System: The Time is Now
Speaker: Kamini Doobay, M.D., MS


RESOURCES

This list will be updated regularly. Please let us know if there is a resource you'd like us to share here.

Read the New York County Psychiatric Society's Statement on Systemic Racism and Healthcare Inequities here.

ARTICLES

  • Hansen, H., Riano, H., Meadows, T., & Mangurian, C. (2018). Alleviating the mental health burden of structural discrimination and hate crimes: The role of psychiatrists. American Journal of Psychiatry, 175(10), 929-933. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2018.17080891
  • Tajeu, G., Halanych, J., Juarez, L., Stone, J., Stepanikova, I., Green, A., & Cherrington, A. (2018). Exploring the association of healthcare worker race and occupation with implicit and explicit racial bias. Journal of the National Medical Association, 110 (5), 464-472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2017.12.001
  • Hall, W. J., Chapman, M. V., Lee, K. M., Merino, Y. M., Thomas, T. W., Payne, B. K., Eng, E., Day, S. H., & Coyne-Beasley, T. (2015). Implicit racial/ethnic bias among health care professionals and its influence on health care outcomes: A systematic review. American Journal of Public Health, 105(12), e60-76. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302903

  • Ford, C. L., & Airhihenbuwa, C. O. (2010). Critical Race Theory, race equity, and public health: toward antiracism praxis. American Journal of Public Health, 100 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), S30–S35. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.171058

BOOKS

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