To address and draw awareness about racial bias in health care, the New York City College of Technology (City Tech) would benefit from an informational campaign. Supplementing the university’s course offerings (e.g., Introduction to Health Delivery and Careers, Safety for Healthcare Professions, Health Dynamics), such a health communications campaign can highlight these courses’ discussion of racial bias, offering students a different perspective on their classes and readings. It would encourage health profession students at City Tech to assess their implicit biases, learn how to become better healthcare providers, and even seek out resources to help them become more culturally aware. If they are exposed to this campaign at the beginning of their respective majors, students in healthcare disciplines might evaluate what it means to be an inclusive and supportive healthcare worker, one who advocates for addressing racial bias. Finally, such a campaign would inform non-health majors as well. Since most college students see a health professional at least once during their academic career, they should be informed about addressing and recognizing racial bias in healthcare, regardless of their major. That said, based on my research and personal observations, City Tech has, to date, not conducted any health campaigns that directly speak to students about racial bias in healthcare. Indeed, while the City Tech website features health campaigns or education from the New York State Health Department, the school does not produce content for students.

In sum, this City Tech health campaign aims to educate all undergraduate students about racial biases in healthcare, to encourage honest conversations about racially based health disparities, and to identify actions that might overcome racial bias in healthcare spaces. By the end of this year-long health campaign, we hope that 60% of all City Tech health services students will be able to recognize the impact of racial bias in healthcare, as well as how to combat it. The following describes the design of the campaign messages, the results of testing the messages with some City Tech students before the campaign launch, as well as a potential plan for disseminating information on campus.

Designing a Survey Study Based on Racial Bias Education

Prior to creating messages for the health campaign, we found it critical to assess what individuals know about the topic. Thus, I conducted a brief survey (see Appendix A) to learn what City Tech students do and do not know about racial bias in healthcare. Beginning with questions about students’ ages and majors, the survey first established which respondents were health professions students. At City Tech, 38% of students are enrolled in the School of Professional Studies, which includes undergraduate programs like dental hygiene, nursing, and health services administration (City Tech, 2023). It was important to know if these health professions students saw the examination of racial biases as part of their course of study.

Next, the survey included multiple-choice and open-ended questions, asking students to describe their understanding of racial biases. These questions were intended to inform the type of messages that would be included in the campaign. Respondents were then asked if they had seen a health campaign around the City Tech campus, and, if so, to provide details about the materials. Lastly, because capturing attention depends on designing relevant messages, respondents were asked to share their opinions about what would make a health campaign visually appealing.

Since most college students see a health professional at least once during their academic career, they should be informed about addressing and recognizing racial bias in healthcare, regardless of their major.

12 students responded to the survey. With an average age of 24.9 years old, the respondents were mostly upperclassmen (92%). Additionally, most (67%) were health services majors, specifically health policy and management. Overall, the survey results suggested that, while City Tech students are knowledgeable about racial biases in healthcare, most have not seen any relevant health campaigns about this issue on campus. More specifically, 50% of the respondents said they had not seen a health campaign at City Tech, and the other half (50%) were unsure of seeing one. Though all respondents answered knowledge-based questions correctly, some (41%) were unaware of racial biases in healthcare. This is somewhat concerning as most respondents were health-related majors. Those familiar with racial biases shared comments such as the following:

“I know that Black and Brown babies are dying three times as much as every other ethnic background, and the mothers do not get the care that they need, their concerns are not regarded as important.”

“Understanding and addressing biases you may possess are important so you can be aware of how you treat and interact with others, both conscious and subconsciously.”

Additionally, more than half of the respondents (58%) shared that City Tech should educate their health professions students on racial biases and/or healthcare disparities. As for the specific content of a hypothetical health campaign, respondents mainly wanted to learn the necessary steps to avoid demonstrating prejudices in healthcare. For example, one respondent commented, “Steps we could take to avoid racial bias and how to properly communicate. Another respondent shared, “Maybe understanding and respecting the magnitude of unconscious bias.” The comments illustrated a need not just for information, but also for a plan of action. Finally, regarding the design of campaign messages, respondents suggested using large fonts, photographs, and graphics to capture City Tech students’ attention. To be more specific, respondents commented, “When it comes to a health campaign for me, what captures my attention is using minimal images and when the font is large enough that I could see from a certain distance. If there is too much going on visually, it may be hard to focus on the information being displayed.” Meanwhile, another respondent commented, “The images stand out with simple, short sentences and the font.”

The informative survey feedback led to two health campaign messages, which I created via Canva, an online graphic design platform. The first message (“Importance of Health Equity Education”), created prior to the survey responses, was created based on my prior knowledge and peer-reviewed literacy readings about how racial biases in healthcare, affect BIPOC communities. This graphic highlighted the importance of being educated to promote health equity.

Meanwhile, the second message, titled “Health Equity Steps for Health Students,” was created after feedback on what students looked for in a health campaign message and what would capture their attention. This message aimed to familiarize students with steps through which they could avoid discriminating against patients of color: acknowledging their experiences, as well as taking courses to understand health disparities and their impact on medical care. Similar to the first message, In both cases, I selected the message templates because of their bright colors and four large text boxes. I wanted the messages to require the respondents to think about racial biases and reflect on their future careers as health professionals caring for BIPOC communities. Further, the messages needed to provide insight into how students might have or wanted to be treated in previous healthcare encounters. See the health campaign messages below.

Disseminating the Health Campaign across the City Tech Campus

Promoting this campaign across the City Tech campus would require collaborating with the university’s Student Wellness Center, which could post the campaign on its website and in its office. Though presenting this campaign to the entire City Tech population would be ideal, focusing on health profession students in the Health Sciences department would be a great first step in evaluating the message’s effectiveness. Therefore, to ensure that the campaign reaches City Tech students majoring in the Health Sciences department, I will develop a relationship with the Chair of the Health Services department. Once a relationship has been formed and the goals of the health campaign have been discussed, an email will be sent to all City Tech health profession students.

Additionally, posters will be posted on walls and billboards in common spaces where a large number of students pass through: the City Tech library on floors four and five of the Namm building, the elevators in the same building, and the area in the Academic building for the Department of Health Services. By partnering with multiple departments and Centers at City Tech, the campaign will make sure that each stakeholder has different ways of communicating with students.

In addition to partnering with groups at City Tech, the campaign will take advantage of the five thousand plus followers of City Tech’s Instagram, at city tech Kyu ni. Through health campaign messages on that account, a substantial number of non-health science and health science majors might better understand racial biases in healthcare. Enrolled students following the account might then show interest in taking classes on health equity. Moreover, posting on social media can demonstrate to those entering or considering applying to City Tech that the university values the importance of health equity.

To ensure the health campaign reaches many City Tech students, it will run for one year in the physical spaces and platforms listed above, as well as the City Tech Health and Wellness Center website and office area, the Health Sciences Department’s office area, and regular emails to City Tech Health Services majors. To evaluate the campaign, a pre and post survey will be emailed to all (Health Services students, beginning with an email that the Health Services Department Chair will send in the first week of the Fall 2024 semester. To fill out the survey, students will also have the option to use a QR code, placed on the health campaign message. The Q R code will be deactivated at the end of the second week of the Fall 2024 semester so that students do not continue to fill it out.

At the end of the campaign, the Q R code will be re-activated, and students who received the pre-campaign survey will receive a post-campaign survey link, via an email from the Health Services Department Chair. The post-campaign survey would be sent in November 2025; sending the survey a few weeks prior to final exams will ensure a larger number of respondents. This final survey will contain the same questions as the pre-campaign survey, allowing us to evaluate any changes concerning students’ knowledge, recognition, and actions about racial bias in healthcare. Ultimately, the data will help us understand if we have met the overarching goal of the campaign.

Additionally, this post-campaign evaluation will help determine which components of the campaign should be revised to improve its effectiveness in future messaging. It is important to acknowledge that this health campaign was designed for health professions students. However, throughout this report, I have emphasized that this health campaign would benefit all students, regardless of major. Thus, after my revisions in the Fall of 2025, I aim to disseminate the updated health campaign to the entire City Tech campus, with the ultimate goal of sharing the health campaign with the Kyu Knee network, thereby expanding university-wide knowledge about racial health inequities. Overcoming health disparities requires participation and engagement from everyone. Hopefully, this health campaign can facilitate conversations about achieving health equity, and educate the next generation of healthcare providers, at City Tech and beyond.