Symposium encourages ‘anti-racism’ focus for public health | News

The FXB event sheds light on research into health disparities fueled by structural racism and the need for intelligence to educate policy makers

September 29, 2021 – More than a dozen experts at the intersection of race and public health recently gathered for a virtual symposium to discuss the negative health effects of structural racism and how public health research works can help inform policy changes to promote health equity.

The event sponsored by the François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center of Health and Human Rights at Harvard University on September 21, 2021 marked the start of a new initiative from the center called the Structural Racism Initiative for Racism and Diversity with Equity (STRIDE). , which aims to use public health data to address persistent racial differences.

“Health inequalities are often an invisible form of structural violence,” said FXB Center Director Mary Bassett in the opening speech. “COVID has made this visible not only to health professionals, but to people around the world.” As the pandemic continues to “cost lives and disrupt livelihoods, especially for blacks, LatinX and indigenous peoples, a focus on structural racism remains crucial Meaning, ”she said.

In a series of panels, speakers explained the historical roots of racial differences in the United States and around the world, as well as the ongoing effects of racism on the social and environmental determinants of health. For example, David Williams, Florence Sprague Norman, and Laura Smart Norman, professor of public health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, cited research showing that two-thirds of black children, 58% of Latino children, and 53% of Native American children Children live in poor or hopeless neighborhoods, while only one in five white and Asian children live in such neighborhoods. “If you could eliminate segregation, you could completely eliminate the black and white gaps in income, education and unemployment,” he said. “These data tell us that racial inequalities don’t reflect culture, don’t reflect failures in proper work ethic, they don’t even reflect a broken system; they reflect a carefully crafted system that is functioning as planned and successfully implementing social policies, many of which are racist-based. “

Other Harvard Chan School speakers at the event included Dean Michelle Williams, who gave introductory remarks; Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor of Health and Human Rights Practice and Director of Research at the FXB Center; Nancy Kreiger, professor of social epidemiology; Monik Jimenez, Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology; Margareta Matache, trainer and director of the Roma program at the FXB center; and Natalia Linos, the managing director of the FXB Center.

In her presentation, Bassett introduced the five new Human Rights Fellows at the FXB Center who, together with two current Fellows, will conduct research on important issues relating to race and public health. For example, social epidemiologist Brittney Butler will use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to study how neighborhood disparities affect black women’s health outcomes during pregnancy. Medical sociologist Marie Plaisime studies the effects of structural racism embedded in medical education and technology. Social epidemiologist Jourdyn Lawrence will examine the potential health benefits of reducing the black-and-white wealth gap through reparations.

In addition to creating research papers, fellows will share their findings with the public through community meetings and events, and produce materials that will help community groups and policy makers implement concrete changes to reduce health inequalities. The goal, according to Linos, is to create a group of “scientist-activists who can do the rigorous methodological research but also work with community groups to make sure that what comes out of Harvard is really capable is to change what we see ”. the soil. “Because:” Research has to be feasible – because we all hope today that in the future we will not describe the challenges of structural racism in the healthcare system, but really talk about the solutions that we will advance. “

– Michael Blanding