When Identity Matters: Physician Race, Gender, and Group Membership in Implicit and Explicit Bias

• In Event: Understanding Disparities and Imagining Justice: Explorations Across the Professions

Abstract

This study examined how physicians’ social identities—specifically race, gender, and target group membership—relate to implicit and explicit bias across five domains: race, sexual orientation, weight, skin tone, and gender identity. Using data from over 50,000 physicians in Project Implicit, we found that individuals identifying with the group evaluated by the IAT exhibited lower implicit bias and more favorable explicit attitudes, supporting identity salience theory. Racial minority and female physicians also demonstrated more egalitarian attitudes overall. Intersectional effects of race and gender were significant. Bias patterns varied across domains, with strongest effects observed for race and sexuality. Findings suggest that lived experience and marginalized identities may attenuate bias and promote equity in clinical settings.

Author

• Lynn Foster-Johnson, Dartmouth College