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Racial disparities in health linger, some rooted in fake science
Documentary spotlight: Telling the story of racism in health care Moderator: Katti Gray, independent journalist Dr. Elaine Batchlor, CEO, MLK Community Healthcare Jenny Callaghan, co-director, “Deliver Us” Allegra Hill, midwife and co-owner, Kindred Space LA Randi Matthews, producer and co-director, Deliver Us Cyndee Readdean, producer, “Critical Condition: Health in Black America” Efforts to pump Black…
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Redlining’s lingering public health legacy
The enduring health impacts of redlining — an institutionalized practice that segregated communities by race for decades until it was banned in 1968 — are compounding. A new study revealed that children and young adults with cancer who previously lived in redlined neighborhoods have increased risk of death. Researchers found that among the 4,355 children…
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Residents in certain ZIP codes are more likely to be fatally shot by police
A person’s ZIP code could determine their risk of being fatally shot by police, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. After analyzing 6,901 fatal police shootings between 2015 and 2022 across 32,736 ZIP codes, researchers found that fatal police shootings rose significantly, by eight times, as the social…
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The complicated role race and ethnicity play in research
Using race and ethnicity categories in research contributes to health inequities — but leaving them out can also be problematic, according to a recent consensus report published by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Racial categories in the U.S., as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), are complex and fluid,…
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How one reporter covered the removal of race from common algorithms
In 2020, an NEJM publication highlighted the widespread misuse of race as a proxy for discrimination and genetic ancestry in medical algorithms. That publication and growing social awareness of the harms of racism re-invigorated long-simmering efforts to fix biases caused by the misuse of race. Since then, researchers and clinicians have worked to update old…
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Biased devices: Reporting on racial bias in health algorithms and products
Doctors measure health in many ways, from routine blood tests for cholesterol or kidney function to using devices like spirometers to test lung function or pulse oximeters for blood oxygen levels. But the results of these routine tests can be misleading because some tests and devices are skewed by algorithms that produce different results depending…
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‘They were his best shot. And they failed to help’: Why did EMS workers neglect Tyre Nichols?
‘They were his best shot. And they failed to help’: Why did EMS workers neglect Tyre Nichols? By the time medics arrived, Tyre Nichols was sitting on the ground, handcuffed and propped against a police car. The 29-year-old’s face was bloody and he was groaning in pain. On Jan. 7, after pulling Nichols over for…
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