Classroom Debate as a Pedagogical Method to Explore the Relationship Between the Medical System and Patient Community Members

J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2025 Apr 22;12:23821205251329720. doi: 10.1177/23821205251329720. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.

ABSTRACT

There are multiple complexities within the practice of medicine wherein the vantage of the medical community might be limited or in direct conflict with the vantage of a patient population. Reproductive justice (RJ) is a framework developed from the vantage of Black women’s health activists to identify and address inequitable reproductive health outcomes, consider the intersection of reproductive rights and social justice, and center the experiences of historically marginalized communities. Using the contemporary example of the federal Medicaid Sterilization Form, we highlight how the pedagogy of classroom debate can teach medical students to engage thoughtfully with the complex intersection between community population perspectives and the medical profession’s advocacy for standardized provision of health services. Debate has long-standing use in education and can build core medical student communication and professionalism competencies while facilitating active learning around complex medical care topics. However, it can have limited efficacy without careful attention to the development of a psychologically safe learning environment and the inclusion of nuanced and diverse perspectives. Herein, we share our debate curriculum and demonstrate how this approach aligns with the community-developed RJ framework that recognizes systems outside medicine that contribute to reproductive outcomes. Our method encourages students to critically evaluate existing literature for authorship, representation, and community participation-a crucial practice for all students to understand the importance of equity in medical research development and healthcare.

PMID:40297804 | PMC:PMC12035015 | DOI:10.1177/23821205251329720