Becker's Hospital Review

40 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP POPULATION HEALTH Your implicit bias training probably won't work, but these 2 strategies will By Molly Gamble O ne of the social psychologists to fur- ther research and identification of implicit bias sees most training to counter these hidden attitudes as "window dressing" that helps an organization look good internally and externally. e two strat- egies that really can counter implicit bias, he said, are not used nearly enough. Implicit bias refers to hidden attitudes that influence the way people act toward one another, which oen results in unintended discrimination. Knowable Magazine caught up with Anthony Greenwald, PhD, a social psychologist, professor of psychology at Uni- versity of Washington in Seattle and creator of the implicit association test. Dr. Greenwald said mitigating implicit bias is much harder to do than scientists expected. Certain measures employers and organiza- tions take will not help, such as simply en- couraging people to have a strong intention not to allow themselves to be biased or paus- ing before making decisions. "All these may seem reasonable, but there's no empirical demonstration that they work." Instead, Dr. Greenwald endorses the follow- ing two actions to make organizational prog- ress in countering implicit bias: 1. Data collection. "I think that a lot can be achieved just by collecting data to document disparities that are occurring as a result of bias," said Dr. Greenwald. He uses the exam- ple of police in New York City. Once data on the traffic stops of black and white pedestri- ans and drivers was analyzed in the past, dis- parities were evident. Data puts officials and leaders in a position to target implicit bias mitigation efforts and measure their effects. "Once you know where the problem is that has to be solved, it's up to the administrators to figure out ways to understand why and how this is happening." 2. Discretion elimination. e next step is discretion elimination, which is applied when people make decisions that involve subjective judgments about a person, such as employers deciding on a promotion or physicians de- ciding on a patient's treatment. "When those decisions are made with discretion, they are likely to result in unintended disparities. But when those decisions are made based on pre- determined, objective criteria that are rig- orously applied, they are much less likely to produce disparities," said Dr. Greenwald. One example of discretion elimination is when major U.S. symphony orchestras began holding blind auditions in the 1970s. ey initially auditioned people behind screens because musicians thought that the visible process was biased in favor of graduates of elite schools. What they didn't expect was how blind auditions would affect women's auditions. e share of women hired as in- strumentalists in major symphony orchestras grew from around 10 to 20 percent before 1970 to about 40 percent. n 'If you don't have women, you've lost half of the best people': Film exposes systemic discrimination in science By Gabrielle Masson T he common societal assumption that scientists are men has had detrimental effects on women in sci- ence, a field in which women are extremely under- represented, as examined in the documentary "Picture a Scientist," co-directed by Sharon Shattuck and Ian Cheney. The film, which premiered June 12, combines data with firsthand recollections of sexism and racism, asserting that time has improved the situation, but not enough. In an in- terview with WBUR, Ms. Shattuck said women currently ac- count for less than a third of all scientists, with even fewer women of color. Furthermore, sexual harassment affects 50 percent of women in academia. Highlighted in the film is Nancy Hopkins, PhD, molecular biologist and biology professor at Cambridge-based Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology. "We believed so much in meritocracy. That you cannot keep merit down. False," Dr. Hopkins said after watching the film. Dr. Hopkins said she remains frustrated that women still face difficulties that she helped name, quantify and change in "A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT, 1996-1999," according to WBUR. The film also follows Jane Willenbring, PhD, now tenured at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at University of Califor- nia San Diego. Dr. Willenbring details her experience in 1999 as a graduate student in Antarctica, when she said former Boston University professor David Marchant, PhD, bullied her with slurs, pushed her down a steep hill multiple times and blew ash with glass shards into her eyes, as reported by WBUR. Dr. Willenbring said she felt she had to wait until she had the security of tenure before filing a Title IX complaint. "You get used to being underestimated," Raychelle Burks, PhD, associate professor of analytical chemistry at Ameri- can University in Washington, D.C., said in the film's trailer. "You get used to being invisible." Dr. Burks also empha- sized the need for allies, saying, "You can't do everything on your own." Ms. Shattuck hopes the documentary will offer guidance for others trying to make change at their institutions. "It's really important to try to level the playing field so white men don't have all the advantages," she told WBUR. "If you don't have women, you've lost half of the best peo- ple," the film's trailer concluded. n

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