Growing up at the interface of my first-generation Indian immigrant parents' culture and that of a lily-white Texan neighborhood provided me with unusual perspectives. Ever since, it has been my lifelong endeavor to expose myself to as much diversity in education and experience as possible. This goal directly extends to my future career in primary care medicine. Diversity in the medical field means far more than simply being aware of your patients’ culture, language and ethnicity. It also encompasses the enormous variety of methods for approaching patients, their families, and their illnesses, as well as non-conventional treatment modalities including complementary/alternative medicine. Diversity in medicine means one must continually be open to the possibility that things are not always what they first seem; diversity in medicine is creativity in patient care.

     Diversity in patient-approach during a healthcare visit is essential in medicine. The astute health care provider always remembers that he or she must tailor his or her practice specifically to the patient being cared for at any given time. For example, a large Haitian population exists in Boston, Massachusetts. While doing a Family Medicine rotation there, I found that this ethnic group is extremely family-oriented, and patients rarely come to the clinic without several other family members. When treating a Haitian patient in Boston, the provider usually must explain the treatment plan to every person in the room so that they can collectively discuss treatment options before coming to a decision. Consequently, I have learned that in this setting, including the family while taking the patient’s history often leads to a more efficient and positive outcome. Health care practitioners must also be cognizant of the fact that each person in the world is not only part of an ethnic group, but that each patient is also a unique individual. Therefore, the practitioner’s approach must also be fitted to the patient’s emotional, psychological, and social needs.

     I believe that medicine is not only the science of treating the ill, but also the art of providing people with techniques to prevent health problems and sustain their daily wellbeing. Thus, diversity in medicine also encompasses creativity in treatment and prevention. Complementary/alternative medicine and preventive care are perfect examples of diversity in medicine. In a time when preventable diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and vascular disease have become alarmingly commonplace, non-conventional and preventive approaches to these issues provide patients with novel ways to work through these problems. Lifestyle education and the teaching of informed decision-making skills to patients are also examples of using diversity to treat patients efficaciously and holistically.

      When medical care is strictly standardized or overly protocol-driven, the patient-centric experience is lost. In these cases, the practitioner is treating the problem instead of the patient. Thus, diversity in the medical field through awareness and understanding of the identity of patients as well as novel modes of treatment is essential. Diversity in medicine proves to be the key to an insightful, well-rounded, and effective medical practice.

Watch a webcast of the
2005 William C. Levin Lecture
on Health Care and Diversity
with Dr. Vivian Pinn