Five Essential Steps for Faculty to Mitigate Racial Bias and Microaggressions in the Classroom.

Educators must recognize the pharmacy curriculum itself is an instrument which can propagate or discourage systemic racism. The role of pharmacy education in disseminating racial bias through didactics deserves further consideration. While microaggressions have begun to be acknowledged in the pharmacy learning environment, specific guidance on mitigating racial microaggressions in the classroom has not been provided. This paper aims to suggest actionable strategies pharmacy educators may use to mitigate or prevent these negative classroom experiences. In the table included five experiences of racial biases and microaggressions in the classroom are combined with suggested action items in a practical guide for pharmacy faculty members. It is our hope that this commentary will challenge faculty in self-assessing their teaching, to prevent propagating racial biases and to create better learning environments for future pharmacists.