We request your participation and contribution to this qualitative research study investigating how racial bias in the clinical environment impacts the development of meaningful mentor-mentee relationships for Black trainees throughout their medical school matriculation and beyond. This research will help us understand how the informal and hidden curriculum present in the clinical environment shapes mentor-mentee relationships. The results of this study will allow us to start meaningful dialog in the medical community on how to take steps to eliminate racial bias and disparities on the clinical wards and beyond.

You are being asked to take part in this research study because you self-identify as Black and research shows that Black medical trainees can have a different lived experience during their medical training. We will explore this dynamic from the mentor-mentee perspective.

We will ask you to share your experiences in medical education, specifically focusing on moments in which you noticed racial bias towards yourself, other students or patients from fellow peers or mentors. Your responses are private, confidential, and de-identified.  Your candid responses are important to us and we understand and take seriously our responsibility to maintain confidentiality and your protection within this study. We commit to create and maintain a safe and nonjudgmental space for you to share your experiences with interviewers who have walked in your shoes.

WE ARE PROTECTING YOUR IDENTITY IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS:

1. Meeting on zoom or at a location far from clinical work
2. Interviews are recorded, transcribed, deidentified, and then the recordings are discarded
   1. At any time you can ask for your comments to not be recorded, and we will turn off the recording device
3. All of your comments will be deidentified:
   1. Your specialty, rotation, hospital, and location in the hospital will not be collected. If during the interview you volunteer any of this information, we will remove it
   2. We only collect gender and stage of training (fellow, resident or med student), so this information will not be linked to your responses. This data will only be aggregated with other responses
   3. We will not publish levels of detail that would lead you to be identified
   4. No names are collected or used
4. We are conducting the study with KU so the results will not reflect only one institution

Research studies are voluntary and only include people who choose to take part.  The purpose of this research is to help us understand how the informal and hidden curriculum present in the clinical environment shapes mentor-mentee relationships. The total amount of time you would be in this study is for the length of the interview, which we estimate will take one hour. During your participation you will be involved in just the interview. Taking part in this research involves the following risks or discomforts: being recognizable despite our de-identification measures, being emotionally triggered due to the subject matter of the interview and reflecting on your past experiences. There are no benefits to you for taking part in this study.  You have the alternative of not taking part in this study.

The deidentified results of this study will be presented to the leadership of each institution, and these leaders are committed to make real change. Your participation will impact that change.

The questions we will ask may have a triggering effect. You may stop the interview any time. We will give you a list of psychological resources.

Participation will take 1 hour. Your will be reimbursed with a $25 gift certificate for your participation. If you choose to participate in person (not over zoom), we will bring food.

Feel free to reach out to biasandresponsibility.umkc@gmail.com if you are interested or have any additional questions.

Thank you for your consideration,

The Racial Dynamics in the Mentor-Mentee Relationship team