Interview with Eva Larkai, a final year medical student at the University of Bristol, on decolonisation of STEM and Medicine

See the transcript of this video at the bottom of this page.

The work to decolonise seeks to disrupt the ways that modern science and medicine have been entangled with the legacy of colonialism. It is a call to recognise and interrupt the impacts of this in our academic practice, and to welcome different and equally valid systems of knowledge – particularly those originating outside the West. It is a shift towards a curriculum that embraces an interconnected global view of science and medicine, where the historical context is considered alongside the necessary technical content, and where there is true diversity in the voices being heard and represented. In medicine specifically, it asks for medical education that encourages medical educators and clinicians to recognise and challenge their own biases, to recognise how colonialism has impacted clinical outcomes and healthcare environments today and to consider how this can translate to treating patients, safely, equitably and holistically. This work encourages a collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach that fosters an environment of unlearning, re-constructing, re-thinking, and co-creation. In this video Eva Larkai looks at these elements in relation to medicine, and reflects on how we might decolonise the subject giving better patient outcomes.