Micro‐inequities in Medicine

There is a robust body of literature documenting disparities for the health care workforce, and in this column, we focus on 1 aspectdmicro-inequities.In 1970, Dr Chester Pierce (an eminent Harvard professor and psychiatrist) wrote about micro-aggressionsdsnubs, slights, and insultsdthat might seem small but can do great damage.His work was primarily focused on race and ethnicity.A few years later, Mary Rowe, PhD, came to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as its first ombudsperson.In her new position, she heard about many small inequities that did not quite fit the definition of micro-aggressions but appeared to undermine workers who identified with at least 1 under-represented group.