Addressing visual learning equity in undergraduate dermatology education: Skin color representation across dermatology lecture images at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Abstract

Minimally-melanated skin has been the standard for dermatologic education. Research has shown that the lack of brown and black images in dermatologic medical education may contribute to unequal early recognition of diseases across different skin types. Promoting visual equity in educational resources throughout undergraduate medical education may allow for students to improve their confidence in identifying skin lesions in patients of color. Dermatology lectures at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) were examined using the New Immigrant Survey (NIS) Skin Color Scale. Four pre-clerkship lectures featuring various skin lesions were analyzed and images were categorized as light/white, medium/brown, and dark/black skin types. The light/white skin category was the most heavily represented accounting for 59.5 % (n = 185) of all images across the four lectures, medium/brown skin type accounted for 16.1 % (n = 50), and dark/black skin type was 24.4 % (n = 76). Across the four lectures, there were 109 dermatologic conditions covered. Of the 109, 35 (32 %) only included images from one skin tone, which was usually light/white skin, whereas 17 (16 %) included images of all three skin types. INSTITUTION is located in Newark, New Jersey a diverse community with 48.2 % of its residents identifying as Black/African American and 36.8 % identifying as Hispanic/Latino in 2022. Currently, there have been efforts at INSTITUTION to promote visual learning equity, especially to represent the community it resides in. Addressing this disparity in medical education is a vital step toward achieving more equitable healthcare practices and outcomes for patients.