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Racism is a social phenomenon. Even though the medical research community has historically relied heavily on racism that treated Black bodies as property that could be experimented upon, clinical medicine has actually been pretty slow to accept racism as a legitimate topic of examination.

Health services, with its ties to the social sciences, has been somewhat more accepting of the notion that racism is a topic worthy of scholarly inquiry. However, direct discourse about racism has been limited.

Despite the squeamishness of mainstream institutions when it comes to talking about racism, a significant and robust body of research has arisen, demonstrating a direct link between racism and health.

Ruth Enid Zambrana from the University of Maryland joins A Health Podyssey to discuss the rich intellectual history of scholarship on racism and health.

Zambrana and coauthor David Williams published a paper in the February 2022 issue of Health Affairs, an issue devoted entirely to the topic of racism and health, tracing the scholarly origins of the understanding of racism as a social determinant of health.

If you enjoy this interview, order the February 2022 Health Affairs Racism & Health theme issue.

Listen to Health Affairs Pathways.

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