BC-CfE webinar examines unconscious bias

posted on April 30, 2021

A recent webinar hosted by the BC-CfE’s Clinical Education and Training Program sought to make its viewers uncomfortable.

Titled Unconscious Bias: Employing Radical Empathy in Health Research and Care Settings, itdiscussed unconscious bias and examined the reasons why this type of bias is so hard to address and how it impacts everybody’s lives.

The webinar was presented by Alia Ali, the founder and Principal Consultant with Empathy Catalyst Consulting. The BC-CfE’s Valerie Nicholson, an Elder, Co-investigator, and Indigenous Peer Research Associate also presented, and Dr. Surita Parashar, a BC-CfE Research Scientist, organized and helped host the event.

Ali opened the webinar by explaining its purpose was to serve as a space for vulnerable sharing and open communication.

This topic can bring out more defensiveness than other topics. You’re here, so you’re wanting to open your mind. Sit in the discomfort and breathe through it.
- Alia Ali, Empathy Catalyst Consulting.

The stated learning objectives were to understand the different types of unconscious bias, understand why unconscious bias is difficult to identify and address (particularly in the health care system), and to learn tools like the “staircase of oppression” and “radical empathy” to challenge our unconscious biases.

Nicholson experienced the impact of unconscious bias, coupled with an experience of discrimination, when she needed to access our healthcare system for a gallstone. She bravely shared her story of how callously she was treated by a young doctor, one who spoke to her with cruelty, disrespect, and aggression, that left Nicholson shocked at how someone could speak to another human being the way he did. After enduring more than three days re-experiencing abuse she suffered as a child including yelling and belittling, she left the hospital early, despite the objections of nursing staff, so she would not have to interact with the callous young doctor again. Afterwards, Nicholson learned that the gallstone she had removed was the biggest the surgeon had ever seen.

Following up with hospital about her dismal treatment, Nicholson was told that the doctor felt his attitude wasn’t one of cruelty, but humour. He believed he was “kidding” with her and the doctor never agreed to a request to have a meeting with her about it.

Ali’s advice for the callous doctor Nicholson experienced would be for him to learn to recognize his unconscious biases and to exercise his empathy - who would he treat like this and who would he not? The work of unlearning biases is similar to physical exercise as unlearning biases comes with struggle and consistent and intentional effort; especially because most people think of themselves as fundamentally good.

Finally, Ali wanted all viewers to leave the webinar with tangible takeaways and methods of accountability, language, and actions which everyone watching could apply to their work to become more aware of unconscious bias and address its personal and organizational impact.

The practice of radical empathy was shared, which is to actively consider another person’s point of view to promote tolerance, thoughtfulness and kindness. The staircase of oppression was also presented with the importance of stepping up and down the staircase in addressing unconscious bias. Additionally, tools for identifying unconscious bias were shared which include defensiveness, surprised journaling, exclusion and microaggressions.

As noted by Ali, “That’s why unconscious biases are that much harder to recognize. Because when your idea of yourself is that of a good and fair and just person you’re especially prone to overlooking, and not seeing the impact, or even being aware of any of your unconscious biases when it contradicts with your idea of self. It’s that much harder to tackle. You find yourself getting more defensive. And defensiveness is actually a really good tool to tell whether there’s an unconscious bias there.”

Reached for comment after the webinar, Ali said, “Ultimately all of us have unconscious biases and we all make up the society we live in today. If we are to see an anti-oppressive future with equal healthcare outcomes for all then we are going to have to learn how to identify and address our own biases so we can utilize radical empathy to build a future that includes all of us.”

If anyone at the BC-CfE is interested in furthering their knowledge in combatting unconscious bias please consider joining the BC-CfE’s Allyship Taskforce. To do so, please email Kalysha Closson at kclosson@bccfe.ca.

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Clinical Education & Training

Surita Parashar

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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BC-CfE webinar examines unconscious bias

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