Race, Medicine and Social Justice
This cluster explores the history and persistence of structural racism in biomedicine as it intersects with economic and social conditions. We focus on reimagining the knowledge we produce about race and health from a social justice perspective.
Health inequality, especially racial inequality in health, has been a topic of concern in medicine since the 1990s. While there is some acknowledgment of how racism operates in the clinical context, the racialization of the “evidence” that guides clinical practice has been largely ignored. The Race, Medicine, and Social Justice Research Cluster of the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice has been meeting regularly since 2014 to probe knowledge production and racism in medicine. The group identified and discussed many sites of racism in medicine over the last year: mental health for the under-insured; genetics, race, and health; black women’s maternity care; and algorithmic-based racism. We also heard from medical students about the work they are doing to address racism in the medical curriculum.
Recent News
2023 Annual Report Update on Race, Medicine, and Social Justice Research Cluster
Ruth J. Simmons Center for Study of Slavery and Justice holds talk on ramifications of surviving a deadly virus
COVID-19 Health Crisis Reveals Deep Impact of Societal Racism
Current and past affiliated staff, researchers, and fellows include
2020-2023
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Lundy Braun
Race, Medicine, and Social Justice Research Cluster Faculty Fellow, Royce Family Professor in Teaching Excellence, Professor of Africana Studies and Medical Science -
Taneisha Wilson
Race, Medicine, and Social Justice Research Cluster Faculty Fellow, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Attending Physician, Brown Emergency Medicine, Director, Equity Initiatives, Brown Emergency Medicine
2020-2021
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Nic John Ramos '17-'19
Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Race and Medicine