EXAMINING THE ROLE OF MEDICAL SCHOOL FACULTY IN DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ CULTURAL HUMILITY SKILLS: INSIGHTS FROM A SINGLE-CENTER MULTIMETHOD STUDY

Abstract

While the Liaison Committee on Medical Education emphasizes the teaching of cultural competence in medical education, the concept of cultural humility, focusing on self-reflection and lifelong learning, has been proposed as a more effective approach. Although there have been numerous discussions on both cultural competence and cultural humility, understanding how faculty in clinical settings help students develop cultural humility skills remains limited. This multimethod study aims to identify current strategies in order to inform future curriculum development. We administered a 10-question survey to assess faculty demographics, teaching characteristics, and familiarity with cultural humility. Participants who were at least somewhat familiar with cultural humility were invited for semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression, and interview data were thematically analyzed to identify key teaching strategies. In our study of 49 medical faculty members, the majority of participants were female (61%) and predominantly White (67%), covering a wide range of specialties and years of teaching. Of the participants, 74% expressed being at least somewhat familiar with cultural humility, and 10 consented to the interview. Strategies for cultural humility education included one-on-one instruction, feedback, and reflections. Multivariate logistic regression showed no significant predictive relationship between demographic or professional variables and familiarity with cultural humility, except for the number of years teaching medical students (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.06-2.36, p=0.03). Thematic analysis underscored fostering learner curiosity about cultures, early patient exposure, and incorporating diverse learning perspectives as essential in developing students’ cultural humility skills. Cultural humility is an important attribute for healthcare professionals that can enhance patient-centered care. Through focused interviews with faculty in our study and subsequent thematic analysis, our results suggest the need for longitudinal and multimodal educational strategies to cultivate cultural humility among medical students. By understanding current teaching methods, educators can design and assess more effective curricula to prepare future doctors for a culturally diverse patient population.