Ep 30: Chidiebere Ibe

Global Scalpels: A Global Surgery Podcast

Medical textbooks are a staple for education for medical trainees worldwide. These textbooks teach through words but they also teach through picture portrayals of conditions students will see in the future. Topics include basic anatomy, skin conditions, injury patterns, and even necessary medical equipment. Unfortunately, many of these textbooks are currently dominated by picture portrayals of patients with caucasian skin. This lack of diversity not only misrepresents the overall patient population, but can also be misleading - for example, certain skin conditions can look extremely different based on skin color and students may miss critical diagnoses due to inadequate education for this patient population. Our host today is working to change that. Meet Chidiebere Ibe; a Nigerian medical illustrator working to increase visibility of patients with non-caucasian skin in the medical literature and textbooks. Join us as we talk about how he hopes to use medical illustration to make neurosurgery more attainable for African medical students, how mentorship helps to overcome barriers, and how equitable illustrations can help both patients and trainees understand conditions better!