Prof. Katy Tenhulzen was featured in the Association of Child Life Professionals Spring 2021 Bulletin for her article, "Don't Follow That Gut Instinct - Debiasing for Equitable Care in Child Life."

She says, "By now, we all should be aware of the ongoing fight for social justice and the dire need for systemic change. Accordingly, the ACLP has encouraged us all to engage in this work within our child life teams, academic programs, and hospitals. Each of us has a responsibility to actively engage in self-reflection about our role in combating — as well as our role in inadvertently contributing to — inequity and injustice. Most people who provide support to children and families of diverse backgrounds would be unlikely to view themselves as overtly racist, sexist, or intolerant of certain groups of people. However, each of us has developed biases which impact our view of the world and the people in it. Some people may be aware of negative beliefs and perceptions they have about a group of people based on certain characteristics. Many of our biases, however, are implicit, meaning we have internalized and unconscious beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions that impact the way we behave around others. It is only with intention that we can identify and shift implicit biases (Amodio & Swencionis, 2018). In this paper, we will examine how biases develop, how these biases can impact patient care, and what strategies can be implemented to overcome implicit bias."

Read the full article here. 

Congratulations Prof. Tenhulzen!