69 Advancing Inclusive and Equitable Healthcare Education for the Future

Professor Gozie Offiah presented RCSI’s work to advance an inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist healthcare curriculum aligned with SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). As co-chair of the Race Equality Forum, Professor Offiah outlined how RCSI became the first institution in Ireland to implement a Race Equality Action Plan (2021–2025), now followed by a second plan extending to 2029. The plan comprises six workstreams spanning leadership, data, policy, training, education, research, and people-focused supports, each designed to strengthen institutional culture and address systemic inequities.

Within the education and research workstream, RCSI is embedding inclusive excellence into teaching and assessment through curriculum review, staff training, simulation-based approaches, and authentic case design. Initiatives include the student-led Anti-Racism Reading Group, diversity audits of clinical images and lecture materials, and enhanced representation in case-based learning. Professor Offiah noted that new cases are co-developed with members of minoritised communities to ensure accuracy, cultural authenticity, and respectful portrayal. Facilitated small-group discussions encourage students to examine bias, reflect on their own perspectives, and consider how inequality impacts diagnosis, treatment, and patient outcomes.

A major area of current work is a university-wide research project on decolonising the curriculum, involving medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, and biomedical sciences. Using validated tools and mixed-methods analysis, the project evaluates staff and student perceptions of inclusivity across domains such as representation, content, language, communication, culture, and assessment. Early findings indicate the need for more inclusive examples in learning materials, greater clarity in terminology, and expanded opportunities for engagement beyond formal teaching. The research aligns with RCSI’s Athena Swan commitments and informs ongoing curriculum reform.

Professor Offiah concluded that advancing equitable healthcare education requires structural change, evidence-based revision, and the continual elevation of staff and student voices. By integrating diverse perspectives and addressing systemic bias, RCSI aims to graduate clinicians equipped to deliver culturally competent, socially just, and equitable care in an increasingly diverse global society.

About the author

name: Professor Gozie Offiah

institution: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland

Professor Gozie Offiah is a Senior Lecturer and Director of Curriculum in the School of Medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.