Ending Bias in Medicine

Because EVERYBODY
Deserves Good Care



Weight bias is the last acceptable prejudice

It’s WRONG. IT CAUSES HARM TO PATIENTS. IT LEADS TO BAD MEDICINE.

Studies show that 65% of patients have been FAT SHAMED by their doctor.

The Science is Overwhelming. Weight Bias HURTS people. It puts patients at risk. Fat shaming worsens peoples’ overall physical and mental well being. It affects the quality of care we provide; impacts how patients receive care and what kind of care they receive. In short- it makes the system worse- for all of us- patients and providers and we have the power to change that.

 

It’s time to end bias in medicine. Together we can make a change

 
 
 
 

Watch the Ted Talk

 
 
 

Hear the Stories

The word COMPASSION comes from the LATIN word COMPATI which means “To sit with one’s suffering”. We could all use a little more compassion in our lives. Here goes…

Listen to these brave health warriors who have faced adversity as a result of weight bias and have triumphed. Their stories are a pathway to empathy. Sit with their suffering and learn from their strengths. When we put a face and a narrative to the people most affected by our actions we banish the biases in us all.

 
 

 Read More

Michael Hobbes, Huffington Post

Michael Hobbes, Huffington Post

Linda West, Self Magazine

Linda West, Self Magazine

Christine Byrne, Huffington Post

Christine Byrne, Huffington Post

Your Fat Friend, Self Magazine

Your Fat Friend, Self Magazine

Follow the Movement

We spend too much time angry at our bodies, punishing them and trying to fit them into some type of ‘cultural’ norm. Our bodies are amazing. They deserve to be celebrated. Take a moment to stand in awe of your body.
For way too long we’ve allowed a number on a scale to define our bodies. That number is bullshit. It doesn’t tell the story of you. Embrace your beautiful life.
Patients are not sick, the system that creates doctors who fat shame their patients is. Study reference: https://bmcobes.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s40608-018-0222-4
If 75% of our future doctors have weight bias, how will we ever end fat bias in medicine? It's time to get the right curriculum in the hands of our medical students rather than leaving them to learn about obesity from mainstream society.
How can we expect future doctors to treat patients with obesity with respect and compassion if we are not teaching them the science behind energy balance and the pathophysiology of disease?
The last place that a person should be fat shamed is in medicine but unfortunately, it's all too common. We are here to stop that. It's time to end fat shame in medicine.
The biggest misconception is to think that people aren’t motivated. Everyone wants to be healthy. What people need are the right tools to reach their goals. It’s not the why it’s the how.
Have you had these thoughts when you see a person with obesity person? 'They are lazy. They eat poorly. They don’t move their body' It’s not surprising. The media and the world around us has given us these negative messages about peop