Diversification of Bioethics with Donald Carter

Happy holidays from BITM! We are delighted to share this episode with you this week. Kirk and Amelia sat down with Dr. Donald Carter III, assistant professor at Mercer School of Medicine. Dr. Carter earned his Doctorate in Bioethics from Loyola University after earning a Masters in Divinity from Vanderbilt and an MBA from Tennessee State. He is a Sadler Scholar with the Hastings Center and the co-chair of the Race and Culture and Ethnicity (RACE) affinity group of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities (ASBH). Dr. Carter began his career as a musician after earning a BA in music from Fisk University, one of the many Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. This episode is a great one for those who are curious about pursuing a career in Bioethics. Dr. Carter shared how he explored several career paths before ultimately finding his professional home in Bioethics. Dr. Carted discussed his work exploring the impacts of the 1910 Flexner report, which, while contributing to creating uniform standards for medical education, also resulted in the closing of 5 of the 7 medical schools within HBCUs. This is one of the reasons for the shortage of Black physicians that persists today. He discussed the importance of diversifying the field of Bioethics and the positive changes he has observed within ASBH over the past few years. He shared how he views HBCUs as an important resource to tap to help diversify the field. He recommends building up bioethics education at HBCUs as a way of fostering lasting change. He also discussed the importance of humanities in medical education, sharing his experiences using visual training strategies (VTS) in medical education, reminding us that the arts have a way of returning us to a place where we can see each other as full humans again. Dr. Carter pointed out that one of the superpowers of the field of Bioethics is that we have a large tent. He examined specific ways in which racial, cultural and professional diversity can enhance the value our field brings to patients and communities.