Anti-Racism in Medicine, Nursing, & Health Sciences: History

In the United States, there is a long history of the exploitation and manipulation of members of black and minority groups in medical research which include the Tuskegee study of 1932. Throughout our country’s history, skepticism of medical institutions and the caregivers within has resulted in an increase in negative health risks and outcomes which disproportionately affect ethnic minorities, like anti-immigrant rhetoric contributing to mistrust among Latinx communities and increasing barriers to care-seeking. Today, we continue to see these influences playout in black and minority communities as the Coronavirus pandemic blankets the United States.

During this lecture, Dr. David Peters, Edgar Berman Professor and Chair of the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and the Director of the Alliance for a Healthier World, will highlight the research projects of Dr. Durryle Brooks and Dr. Daniela Rodriguez, recipients of COVID-19 grants for research. Their respective projects shine a light on the impact of medical mistrust in the black and Latinx communities in different ways. The discussion will focus how past perceptions influence strategies to educate these communities and mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Baltimore and beyond.

Journalist and medical ethicist Washington described medical research on African Americans from colonial times to the 20th century. She described the “Tuskegee Syphilis Study” that began in 1932 and was conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service. Almost 400 African American men were withheld treatment for syphilis to study how the disease would affect them in its late stages. The author contended that this is just one of several experiments that shaped the way in which African Americans relate to today’s medical industry. She showed many illustrations from her book and responded to audience members' questions.

Harriet Washington has been awarded the Congressional Black Caucus Beacon of Light Award and investigative journalism awards from the National Association of Black Journalists.