Color Code

In August of 2021, Denise Williams was rushed to Queens Hospital Center in New York City. Williams, a 29-year-old Black woman, had recently given birth and needed treatment for acute postpartum depression. Her family had hoped her stay would be brief, so she could return to be with her newborn, Adalee, and her 3-year-old daughter Avyanna. But two days later, Williams’ mother received a devastating and shocking phone call: Her daughter had died.

We take a look at the groundswell of antiracism work in medicine and medical education. We will also explore the backlash that these endeavors have received, which span from institutional repercussions to protests from hate groups.

In this episode, you will hear from Jerrel Catlett and Jennifer Dias, two medical students at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who will share their experience developing anti-racist training and curriculum for students. Michelle Morse, the Chief Medical Officer of New York City’s Health Department tells us of how her efforts to raise awareness at Brigham and Women's Hospital were met with hateful messages and protests by Neo Nazis calling her work ‘“anti-white.” We also speak with Aysha Khoury, a physician formerly at Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine who was dismissed following what she says was an antiracist discussion with students in the classroom.

As long as there's been a medical system, it's been one that is rife with instances of mistreatment — both on the individual and community levels — that have harmful effects on how Black Americans view the healthcare system. In this episode, we speak with the researchers, doctors, and a patient, who are all trying to repair the relationship between Black people and the medical institution.

Color Code is STAT’s new podcast raising the alarm on racial inequities in American health care. The show will premiere March 21 and air episodes every other week. Transcripts, photos, and further reading will be available at www.statnews.com.