Racism is recognised as a determinant of health and inequity for Indigenous populations globally. Despite efforts to acknowledge and reduce discrimination, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia continue to report that incidents of racism in healthcare settings are common, damaging, and increasing. However, there is very little evidence on the effectiveness of anti-racism strategies, tools and programs in settings that provide healthcare to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Current psychological explanations for interpersonal racism focus on implicit or unconscious bias and microaggression. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is useful as a framework for considering racist beliefs and attitudes and offers a promising approach to promote antiracism in healthcare. Most research in this field has been descriptive, with little guidance on facilitating intra-individually and interpersonally change in members of the dominant group to move from ‘conformity’ to ‘integrative awareness.

Overseen by an Aboriginal strong research team this research seeks to conduct a pilot anti-racism program with non-Aboriginal hospital staff and medical students. A self-help guide, ‘Reconciliation Preparation Guide for non-Aboriginal Australians’, forms the basis for the Program content. By challenging systemic and structural racism, where the power biases dominate, our Program will provide the health workforce with the ongoing capacity to recognise and address racism. The program will be simultaneously evaluated and refined during the program pilot to ensure acceptability and feasibility. Data sources include pre- and post-program surveys and per-module evaluations, as well as qualitative interviews at key points during the project. This research will generate vital evidence on a Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy-Informed Racism Reduction Program and its suitability and viability within health and university medical school settings. The developmental evaluation provides opportunities for continual refinement of the model ensuring its readiness for implementation and scalability across multiple health, medical education and potentially broader sectors in the future.