Working with socially, culturally and linguistically diverse patients can be challenging. Difficulties arise from the diversity of patients' health beliefs, values, preferences and behaviors, and the challenges of communicating effectively across language and cultural differences. Communication barriers complicate the task of identifying, understanding and incorporating patients' diverse beliefs, behaviors and preferences in the provision of health care. Ensuring quality and equity in health care for diverse populations requires physicians to acquire specific knowledge, attitudes and skills, commonly referred to as “cultural competence”. This thesis presents an overview of the rationale for and evolution of the concept of cultural competence, as well as the key research questions around cultural competence that require attention. Finally, results are presented from several studies conducted in Geneva aimed at shedding light on these issues and supporting physicians in their attempts to ensure equity and quality in health care for an increasingly diverse patient population.