Op-eds, thought pieces, and more

Critical race theory: the newest foundational science

A thought piece written by Natasha Edman (niedman@uw.edu) about the role of critical race theory in the medical school curriculum in the hopes that other medical students, administrators, and faculty will read this article and think about ways they can incorporate critical race theory into the education of future physicians.

Join Us in the March for Justice (June 4, 2020)

Op-ed and demands from IHJ founder Edwin Lindo and Estell Williams in the recent March for Justice held in Seattle, WA with healthcare professionals across the city.

The Asian American Reply to Pandemic-Era Racism Must Be Cross-Racial Solidarity

Thought piece from from IHJ founder Monica Hahn on Asian-Americans, COVID-19, and cross-racial solidarity.

Abolish race-based medicine in kidney disease and beyond

Op-ed written by IHJ founder Monica Hahn and a team of faculty and trainees at SF General Hospital calling for the removal of race-based GFR reporting (which was recently confirmed by UCSF across all its labs as of 7/31/2020!). Other authors include Juliana Morris, Vanessa Grubbs, and Stephen Richmond.

Journal articles

On Racism: A New Standard for Publishing on Racial Health Inequities

An interdisciplinary framework of rigorous standards for evaluating health disparities research denouncing the use of race as a biological risk factor and naming racism as a root cause. Written by Rhea Boyd, Edwin Lindo, Lachelle Weeks, and Monica Mclemore.

Precision in GFR Reporting: Let’s Stop Playing the Race Card

Article denouncing the use of race in GFR reporting, explaining the fallacies in the equations and calling for the use of race-free cystatin C measurements immediately. Written by Vanessa Grubbs.

For Those Considering Medical School: A Black Queer Feminist Perspective

Written by Nwadiogo Ejiogu and published in Degrees of Difference: Reflections of Women of Color on Graduate School.

Reports

Police Violence as a Public Health Crisis in Rhode IslandSpearheaded by the group Against Racism in Medicine (ARM) at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, this report details the health impacts of policing and police violence, with both national and Rhode Island-specific data. It was written to stand in full support of Rhode Island community members calling to defund RI police departments and divert funding to community-centered alternatives, adding the perspectives of folx in medicine and public health to the discussion of police violence as a local and nationwide crisis.  Please reach out to Neha Reddy (neha_g_reddy@brown.edu) for further information.Report can be found here.

Policy resolutions

The Medical Student Section has introduced the following policy resolutions at the American Medical Association, organized by Rohan Khazanchi (r.khazanchi@unmc.edu), Anna Heffron (heffron2@wisc.edu), and many other authors. Go to our Take Action page to find more ways to support these efforts!

Denouncing Racial Essentialism in Medicine

Racism as a Public Health Threat

Our eGFR Working Group has submitted several policy papers to key federal groups, including a Request for Information (RFI) to the Ways and Means Committee and an RFI to the federal Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality.