Systemic Racism and Its Population Health Impacts

• Activity Number: 384 - Systemic Racism and Its Population Health Impacts
• Type: Topic Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 10, 2022 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics in Epidemiology
• Author(s): Melody Goodman* and Michele Andrasik* and Yates Coley* and Sahar Z Zangeneh*
• Companies: New York University and Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center and Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute and RTI International
• Keywords: Systemic Racism; Finite population-level inference; Algorithmic Bias; Study Design; Measurement

Abstract

Systemic racism (SR)---defined as the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination, through mutually reinforcing inequitable systems reflects multilevel, multi-dimensional and multi-generational systems of discrimination in America and was recently declared to be a public health threat. Although SR has been in operation since the founding of America, its connection to population health has been largely underexplored. Acknowledging the problem of SR and its connection to population health is a huge step forward. Informed action is the critical next step. Many challenges lie ahead in conducting evidence-based research and implementing the science. This panel brings together four researchers with expertise in conducting research on the population health impacts of SR. The collective research covers diverse statistical topics, including measurements, study design, recruitment of historically underrepresented communities in research studies, analytical approaches to increase representation, and biases in currently used algorithms. The collaborative experiences span a broad range of substantive areas including genetics, mental health, HIV/AIDS, Covid-19 and diabetes.