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various institutions and groups to visi- bly commit to dismantling racism in medicine, including identifying the ways in which racism and biases mani- fest in organizational operations, including learning environments and through education. It calls on leaders to apply an antiracist lens to all areas of institutional culture, requiring pro- fessional development regarding rac- ism in medicine and to take action as needed. The third point principle calls for confronting and dismantling practices and policies devaluing trainees, physi- cians, faculty, staff and patients of color. This includes listening to relevant par- ties and taking a multi-level, compre- hensive approach to re-think structures including hiring, finances, internal messaging and setting clear and equita- ble methods for evaluating professional and academic performance. The final principle calls for cultivating a culture of empathy, including recognizing the intersectionality of oppression and promoting understanding about the trauma and health consequences marginalized groups in healthcare organizations experience. "It is mission critical for the Medical Society, the DPH, and our state's medical schools to lead in supporting the next generation of physicians and their patients," said MMS president Dr. Carole Allen, in a statement. "This document outlines important steps to address systemic racism as it manifests in health care." Health Care Br iefs U Mass Medical School in Worcester was among several groups to release on Aug. 10 a set of princi- ples taking aim at racism in medi- cal education and healthcare orga- nizations. UMass Medical School was joined by the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Massachusetts Department of Public A lexander Petroff, an assistant professor of phys- ics at Clark University in Worcester, has been awarded a five-year, $601,423 award from the National Science Foundation, to be distributed at several intervals, to support his research on micro- bial communities that propel themselves along mag- netic field lines, the school announced on Aug. 9. "A big problem if you're studying the evolution of multicellularity is understanding how cells know how to position themselves," Petroff said in Clark's announcement. "This is directly related to the way these bacteria are aligning their magnetic moments — trying to figure out who should be pushing and who should be pulling. There is the question of how these cells organize themselves in space." The bacteria Petroff is studying are found in muddy areas and live in what Clark described as spherical aggregates that grow, elongate and divide into two aggregates as their cells reproduce. His proj- ect aims to determine how the interactions between the cells allow them to behave like a single, multicel- lular organism. To do so, Petroff will apply a f luorescent dye to the cells to make them glow in the dark, and then create a 3D reconstruction of the colony. "Where each cell is situated on the surface of the colony determines whether it should push, pull, or do nothing," Petroff said. "We don't really know if all the cells are actively moving the colony, so what we want to do is figure out how these cells are coordi- nating their motility." From there, he and his team will study how the cells push against the water. They will also look to external clues like sunlight and oxygen to help deter- mine how the colonies coordinate their behavior. Clark announced Petroff will use the award to develop a new course called Modeling Biological Complexity. UMass Medical School joins other Mass. medical schools to dismantle racism in medicine Health and the state's three other med- ical schools, including Boston University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Tufts University School of Medicine, all located in Boston. "With this set of principles, we are committing to create and sustain a cul- ture across medicine in Massachusetts that is equitable as we seek to dis- mantle racism in all of its forms, starting with our medical students' education for years to come," said Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel, in a statement. The principles outlined cover four key areas. The first among them is to acknowledge and learn, including understanding the history of racism in medicine, how privilege works, and both implicit and explicit biases. The point includes recognizing race as a social construct, rather than a biological one, as well as understanding racism as a public health and moral threat. The point calls on education regarding the histo- ry of racism in medicine and the dis- parities it has produced. The second point calls on leaders in I n n o v a t i o n Clark professor awarded $601K to study bacteria behavior 4 HE ALTH • Winter 2020 H PHOTO/GRANT WELKER H

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