Panel Discussion: Emergent Themes and Future Directions

• In Event: Belonging and Becoming: Racial Affinity Group Caucus Pedagogy in Medical Education

Abstract

This 30-minute panel brings together health professions educators, learners, practitioners, and emerging leaders committed to advancing antiracist education and justice-oriented learning environments through rigorous strategies that center historically marginalized, minoritized, and underrepresented healthcare professionals. Panelists include authors from the symposium papers, each representing different institutional contexts where RAGCs have been implemented, as well as facilitators and program leaders who have engaged with RAGCs in residency programs and departmental settings. The discussion will explore cross-cutting themes of professional identity formation, belonging, and the transformative potential of RAGCs in medical training.

Panelists will reflect on their journeys working with RAGCs, discussing expected and unexpected outcomes of implementing these pedagogical approaches. They will share insights into the power of RAGCs to create psychologically safe environments and foster critical consciousness, and alignment between racial and professional identities. Discussion will also address challenges encountered, including institutional resistance, sustainability, and navigating the emotional labor required of participants and facilitators. Looking toward the future, panelists will imagine what professional education might look like if identity-affirming pedagogies like RAGC were widely adopted. They will highlight possibilities for expanding RAGCs across interprofessional fields, building supportive communities of practice, and embedding antiracist frameworks more deeply into health professions education.

Authors

• Leanna Lewis, University of California - Berkeley

• Jyothi Marbin, University of California – San Francisco

• Monica Hahn, University of California - San Francisco

• Camila Cribb Fabersunne, University of California