IDEA2 Resident DEIA

Resident DeiA Committee Presents Diversity Book Club

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We discussed the New York Times regarding the Relf sisters (characters in the book) and the history of sterilization within the United States. 

We believe these articles are something that can help us be closer to our St. Louis community. 

We are ecstatic to bring more education to our Ob/Gyn Department to make us stronger and united in the knowledge of the past, present, and future. 

Thank you to The Vine Cafe for catering!

We are really excited about our upcoming diversity movie night! (January 4th, 2023 – be on the lookout!)

Discussion Questions

Large Group Discussion Questions

  1. In one word, describe your reaction to Take my Hand. a. Why?
  2. What themes resonated with you after reading/listening to the book? How has this affected the way you care for your patients?
  3. Final question (from 8:00 – 8:30) – How can we apply what themes are present in this book to our daily practice?
    1. Is there anything you can think of (i.e. clinic flow, care of patients, systems, counseling, etc.) that we can change?
    2. Let’s make action items based on this!

Small Group Discussion Questions

  1. Perkins-Valdez used the real-life 1973 case Relf v. Weinberger as a launching point for writing this novel. Did you know about this moment in history or similar stories? If not, why do you think these important historical moments are not more widely known?
  2. History repeats what we don’t remember. With infamous cases like the Tuskegee syphilis experiment and the use of Henrietta Lacks’s cells without her knowledge, what do you think is the importance of medical ethics in today’s society?
  3. So many people in this novel have good intentions-even Mrs. Seager believes she is doing what’s right. What are the dangers of good intentions? What responsibility do we have for the fallout of our “good deeds”?
  1. Civil and the nurses at the clinic try to make amends for the unintentional harm they have done to patients over the years. Do you think redemption was possible for them?
  2. The ideas of being a savior and being an advocate are important themes in the book. Who in your mind was a savior? Who in your mind was an advocate? What are examples of ways these roles are different?
  3. What do you think about the intersection of the principles autonomy, race, and ableism/self-efficacy?