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What Is Cultural Humility? Here’s How To Implement It

June 22, 2020

Anyone who seeks out a health and well-being provider is looking for someone who will be a part of their health care team. When they walk into a space where they are vulnerable and reliant upon care, they hope that the provider will be respectful and allow them to share their story without judgment. For this to be possible, the provider (or anyone, for that matter) should have cultural humility.

What is cultural humility?

Cultural humility is a process of communal reflection to examine the root causes of suffering, with the goal of creating a more inclusive worldview. It was originally developed by Melanie Tervalon, M.D., MPH, and Jann Murray-Garcia, M.D., MPH, to address health disparities and inequities in medicine and is further discussed by filmmaker Vivian Chavez in the video titled Cultural Humility: People, Principles, and Practices.

It’s a multidimensional concept that includes self-reflection, critical self-thought, and lifelong learning. It also requires an awareness of power dynamics to ensure respectful partnerships and institutional accountability.

Maya Feller

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN is the founder and lead dietitian at Maya Feller Nutrition. In her practice, her team provides medical nutrition therapy and nutrition coaching for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders, developmental disabilities, disordered eating, and more. Maya believes in providing inclusive nutrition education from an anti-bias patient-centered, culturally humble approach to help people make informed food choices. Maya shares her approachable, food-based solutions with millions of people through regular speaking engagements, writing, her social platforms, and as a national nutrition expert on Good Morning America, is a Healthline Medical Advisor, and on the advisory board for SHAPE and Parents, as well as appearing on TODAY Show, Tamron Hall, and in The New York Times, mindbodygreen, Well+Good, Food Network, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, Eating Well, Prevention, Glamour, SELF, and more. She is the author of The Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook: Over 100 Recipes for a Healthy Life and Eating from Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites from Cultures Around the World (goop Press, January 24, 2023).

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