Systems Biology:
Method Automates Capture of Cell Image Data
Medical Education
HMS Hospitals Hone Plans for Deeper Cuts in Resident Hours
Clinical Research:
Earliest Cancer Trials May Offer Lower Risk But Lower Benefit
Ambulatory Care:
Postmarketing Study Answers Questions on Statin Safety
Sodium Channel Modulates Calcium-Based T Cell Activation
Drug Ads Need Plainer Language to Explain Risks
Proceedings of the HMS Faculty Council
HMS Appoints Connors as Board of Fellows Chair
Lynn Eckhert Takes Over as AAMC Chair
Dean's Community Service Awards
Broad and Novartis Announce Joint Program to Decode Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes
Center for Large-scale SNP Analysis Backed at Broad Institute
Judge Baker Appoints New President, Opens New Facility
Richmond Award Honors Antismoking Activists
NIH Roadmap Supports Training in Genetics and Complex Diseases
Lefkopoulou Lecturer Describes Approach to Incomplete Data in Longitudinal Studies
Children's Wins $2.5m in Health Surveillance Grants
Cultural Misunderstandings Can Be Opportunities for Learning
Medical Simulator Goes to the Head of the Class
Cultural Misunderstandings Can Be Opportunities For Learning
The response below was written by Marie Jean-Baptiste, HMS assistant professor of medicine at North Cambridge Neighborhood Health Center and Massachusetts General Hospital.Incident: When an Asian female student objects to being referred to as an "Oriental," she is ridiculed and berated.
Response: This is a valuable case to discuss because it is a good example of the need for cultural sensitivity. The term Asian is now strongly preferred to Oriental by persons native to Asia or descended from Asian people. Both terms are rooted in geography rather than ethnicity, but while Asian is considered neutral, Oriental sounds archaic and, to many Asian people, offensive. Why? The term Oriental was widely used in the past in the Western world to refer to foreign cultures and places that might have value for being "exotic," although not on a par with European civilization. It is also worth noting that the term Oriental is very nonspecific.
As we work toward our goal of increasing our appreciation for diversity throughout the Harvard Medical community, it is important for us to be increasingly more open-minded, inquisitive, and sensitive to one another's viewpoints in order to avoid falling into the pit of stereotyping individuals from different cultures.
It is impossible for most of us to be equally knowledgeable about the subtle nuances of cultural identity--especially of groups that from our vantage point may seem very similar. Yet it is important to use our interactions with students from diverse backgrounds as golden opportunities to increase our knowledge and appreciation of the history and culture that have helped shape them as individuals and as valued members of our community.