Name: Elvis Mgbatu Tabot
Year: 2nd
Major: Biological Sciences
Position: Public Relations
Biography: I took this class my freshman year because I wanted to know more about healthcare and the barriers to healthcare. Taking this class opened my eyes to the wide arrays of problems in the medical field and how some people aren’t given equitable healthcare due to preconceived biases. I aspire to be a physician and learning about these biases and working on them would allow me to be a better physician. I also did some research for my sociology class where I learned about how many physicians and healthcare providers today aren’t taught about these disparities in medicine and prevent them from giving equal healthcare to all. I became a part of the DIM team to help educate people about these disparities. I believe learning about these helps save lives and promote the goal for equitable healthcare for everyone.
What Diversity Means to Me: Diversity to me is bringing people of all backgrounds and experiences together. Diversity isn’t about bringing a varied range of monolith people to the table. To me it is about getting rid of the table and opening room for all voices and experiences. Diversity promotes difficult conversations that allow for growth and change.
What I Gained From the Class: This class opened my eyes to the struggles (that I don’t relate to) that people face in the healthcare system. This class showed me the problems of healthcare that I never thought of, bringing people who experience these biases/work with people who have experienced them, opening doors to difficult conversations. This class inspired me to fight to make a change by learning about preconceived notions that prevent equitable healthcare and standing up for individuals that had negative experiences with healthcare.