Before I left for India to work on my master’s degree, a professor gave me this advice. She said that when we go into others’ communities it’s like entering someone else’s house as a guest.
Working in global health often means working with communities different from those we grew up in. It’s crucial to examine how our own notions or preconceptions of another culture affect our behavior. Learning from and collaborating with communities in which we work is so important, particularly in family medicine, where there is a big emphasis on building a trusting relationship with the patient.
This is one of my favorite TED Talks from brilliant author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who speaks about single story narrative that we often unconsciously carry. Even better, Adichie just happens to be married to a family doc!
Want something a little less time intensive? Check out this quick video that playfully challenges our how cultural ideas can be shaped by Hollywood.
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