Racial Health Disparities: How COVID-19 Magnified a Public Health Emergency

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the health disparities in America’s communities of color in such dramatic fashion that racism is now seen as a public health emergency. In the season finale of “Beyond the White Coat,” David Skorton, MD, AAMC president and CEO, and Malika Fair, MD,  MPH, senior director of health equity partnerships and programs at the AAMC, discuss what forces are driving the disparities in health care access, how physicians can work to acknowledge and address racism against Black Americans, and what the academic medicine community can do to address institutional and systemic racism. 

Episode Guest:

Malika Fair, MD, MPH, is senior director of health equity partnerships and programs at the AAMC and an associate clinical professor and practicing physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine of the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Episode Credits:

Hosted by David Skorton, MD, president and CEO of the AAMC.
Produced by Stephanie Weiner, AAMC manager of digital strategy; Gabrielle Redford, AAMCNews director and managing editor; and Patrick Boyle, AAMCNews staff writer.
Edited by Laura Zelaya, AAMC production manager.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

Racism and Health - Resources for the Academic CommunityAAMC Press Conference: Racism and Health: How and Where to Make Changes (June 12, 2020)“Academic medical leaders and learners reflect on police brutality, racism, and the path forward" (AAMCNews, June 5, 2020)AAMC Statement on Police Brutality and Racism in America and Their Impact on Health (June 1, 2010)“Why is my community suffering more from COVID-19?” (AAMCNews, May 20, 2020)Season 1 of the “Beyond the White Coat” Podcast