The Codification of a Professional: Addressing the Hidden Curriculum in Public Health

Health organizations and public health programs are responding to the current pandemic of racial violence through releasing statements condemning these actions. They recognize that to be a health professional means addressing the structuralized inequities leading to reduced health outcomes and increased violence for portions of our population. However, the written and unwritten codification and curriculum about professionalism and what it looks like leads to the very biases that perpetuate inequities. This commentary examines the disconnect between the hidden curriculum of professionalism and the way we enforce how a professional is supposed to look through dress codes and stipulations on hair as well as other elements of appearance. We will then look at ways to “make the invisible visible” and open up conversation in the classroom. In order to address equity and serve all their students, organizations and public health programs need to open space to discuss the parts of our culture that reinforce biases and how these issues affect their communities.