Former College of Medicine dean selected to 2022 ODI Hall of Fame, left an undying impact in medical field

Dr. Quinn Capers IV (middle) makes hospital rounds with four doctors he admitted to medical school. | Courtesy of Quinn Capers

By Amani Bayo

Internal cardiologist, distinguished professor and advocate for racial equity Dr. Quinn Capers IV has been a driving force in changing the climate of racial bias within Ohio State’s College of Medicine.

Capers spent 10 years at the College of Medicine as associate dean of admissions before transferring to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2020 to serve as associate dean for faculty diversity, according to a Dec. 3, 2020, UT Southwestern press release.

During Capers’ tenure with Ohio State, he made significant advances to rid the medical field of racial bias. Coupled with his medical practice, Capers led a research study on implicit bias and helped conversations on hidden discrimination take center stage. 

His ongoing advocacy for equal opportunity in the medical field has earned him recognition from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion — Capers was selected to the 2022 ODI Hall of Fame in January, according to a post he made on Twitter.

“It's very humbling, and I was very happy and proud and excited to get the news,” Capers said. 

James Moore III, chief of diversity and vice provost of ODI, said the Hall of Fame award is a way to showcase those who advocate for equity and inspire future generations to overcome racial barriers.

“The Hall of Fame, in my mind, is individuals who were glass-ceiling breakers, who have made justice, equity and equality a major part of their thrust on this planet,” Moore said.

Capers said his attention was initially drawn toward racism in medicine during his residency at Emory University in Atlanta.

Dr. Quinn Capers IV was selected for the 2022 Office of Diversity and Inclusion Hall of Fame. | Zach Rilley/For The Lantern

“I saw up close and personal health care disparities along racial lines,” Capers said. “Among the culprits that led to those health care disparities, sometimes the health care systems, sometimes the doctors played a role, and that really bothered me.”

While at Ohio State, Capers worked alongside experts in various professions to tackle the issue of cyclical racism in medicine at its root. Capers said there is history in the biases the medical field experiences today, which must be studied and corrected.

“These health care disparities started back in slavery,” Capers said. “We talked about how unjust and unfair medicine is when it's practiced like that, when the doctor is beholden not to the patient, but to somebody else.”

Capers said he is currently working to diversify the faculty that teach medical students at UT Southwestern, and he has trained over 1,000 physicians on how to reduce racial bias in health care.

“One of the most important things we can do to reduce our biases is by spending time with or reading about and trying to learn about people from a group other than our own. It really is that simple,” Capers said.

Moore said Capers not only consistently makes great strides toward promoting racial equity, but he inspires future leaders to carry on the cause. 

“When he was in the College of Medicine, we saw advancements for African Americans and Black students that we haven't seen before,” Moore said. “It is clear his calling is beyond medicine.”

Hafza Inshaar, a third-year medical student at the College of Medicine and former student of Capers, said many students remember Capers’ commitment to discussing racism in medicine and continue to pursue the actions he started.

“I think for me, personally, one of the biggest reasons I went to Ohio State was because of Dr. Capers,” Inshaar said. “And I think that sentiment is shared by a lot of Black students at Ohio State College of Medicine.”

Inshaar recently participated in creating an educational program for first-year medical students that examines historically racist practices in medicine, and she said Capers inspired herself and many others to become more focused on confronting those racial barriers.

Inshaar said Capers was the first representation of a Black physician at Ohio State who was not afraid to discuss race in an environment where the topic had been deemed taboo.

“Dr. Capers has left a huge impact on this university, and even though he is gone, he continues to have a presence in the current students and the students that will come after,” Inshaar said.

The 2022 ODI Hall of Fame awards will be held April 21.