Breaking BIAS

Dr Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun discusses culturally competent practice and the need to reshape what fair, dignified care looks like for Black and Brown women at every stage life.

Across UK clinics, I see Black and Brown women repeatedly being failed by a system that was never built with them in mind. As a GP, I am determined to change that reality from my chair in the consultation room.

Race and social inequity remain powerful determinants of health. Time and again, I see poorer access to evidence-based treatments and worse long-term outcomes for Black and Brown women. This is not because of who we are, but because of how the system treats us.

The consequences are devastating. I regularly meet women whose diagnoses of conditions like endometriosis and fibroids have been delayed for years, and others who are denied adequate menopause support. Too often, pain is dismissed, symptoms are minimised, and women are told to “wait and see” without proper assessment. Black women, for instance, experience fibroids more commonly and severely, yet are offered fewer treatment options. Women of colour going through menopause are frequently not offered HRT at all.

These are not isolated incidents; they are systematic failures. They shape how women engage with healthcare, how they advocate for themselves, and whether they feel seen and heard. The result is delayed care, avoidable complications, and a loss of trust that is incredibly difficult to rebuild.

For me, the solution begins with cultural competence, not as a tick-box exercise, but as a clinical necessity. Cultural competence is essential to safe, equitable practice, yet it is still not prioritised enough in medical education. One or two lectures cannot prepare clinicians for the realities of serving diverse communities. It demands curiosity, humility, and the courage to listen without assumptions. It means recognising how faith, family, and cultural beliefs influence health decisions, and adapting care to reflect that reality.

It’s about asking, not assuming. It’s about acknowledging trauma, validating lived experiences, and creating space for conversations that have long been silenced.

That is the foundation of my private clinic, Dr Sho Cares. I refuse to accept the status quo. My practice is built on a holistic, bio-psychosocial approach that challenges the narrow lens through which women’s health is so often viewed. Health is never just physical. It is shaped by our minds, our environments, and our identities. Ignoring these layers means missing the full picture.

In my consultations, I slow down. I ask open questions. I listen deeply. I have seen the impact of systemic bias up close: women told that their heavy bleeding is “normal for African women,” or that their hot flushes are “just stress.” These are not small mistakes, they alter the entire trajectory of a woman’s health.

That is why I create resources that reflect cultural contexts and work to ensure my patients feel empowered, not overlooked. I want women from ethnic minority backgrounds to know they are not “difficult patients.” They are navigating a healthcare system that was not designed with them in mind. And they deserve better.

But change cannot stop with the individual consultation. Structural reform in frontline care is urgently needed. For me, that means three things: embedding equity into clinical guidelines so conditions affecting women of colour are recognised; training and accountability so cultural competence is expected, not optional; and finally, time and continuity, because equitable care cannot be delivered in ten rushed minutes without truly knowing the person in front of you.

That’s why, I’m committed to challenging norms, demanding better, and setting a new standard for what impact should look like in healthcare. From the first period to post-menopause, every woman deserves to be heard, validated, and cared for with dignity.

See Dr Johnson-Sogbetun in action at Menopause in Practice.

DR ITUNU

Dr Itunu Johnson-Sogbetun (Dr Sho) is a UK-based portfolio General Practitioner with over a decade of clinical experience. Ahe is a strong believer in the bio-psycho-social interaction that underpins health and wellbeing, and utilises this approach to empower her patients. With a special interest in women’s health, sexual and reproductive health and menopause care, she delivers her high-quality, holistic, personalised care to patients in both the National Health Service and Private sector.