MedEd Studio: Anthropology in Medical Education

In this conversation, Professor Janelle Taylor discusses the intersection of anthropology and medical education, exploring how cultural contexts shape professional identity and practices within healthcare. She emphasizes the importance of understanding culture in medical settings and how anthropological insights can enhance health professions education.

Takeaways

  • Professional identity formation is influenced by social contexts.
  • Different healthcare roles have distinct cultural understandings.
  • Anthropologists can reveal unspoken norms in professional settings.
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration enriches understanding in healthcare.
Headshot of Janelle Taylor.
Janelle Taylor. Photo: University of Toronto.

Janelle Taylor

Janelle Taylor is a Professor in the department of Anthropology at University of Toronto. As a medical anthropologist, she uses concepts and methods from sociocultural anthropology to study social and cultural aspects of health, illness, and medicine. Her research has been based in North America and has focused on a number of different aspects of medicine including: fetal ultrasound imaging, advance care planning and medical decision-making at the end of life, cultural competency and the use of standardized patient simulation within medical education, and challenges surrounding the care of people living with advanced kidney disease.