Regenstrief Vice President for Faculty Development Aaron Carroll, M.D., called for urgent action to address systemic racism in the healthcare system. This call comes in an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum titled Health Disparities Among Black Persons in the US and Addressing Racism in the Health Care System.
Dr. Carroll stated the importance of acknowledging the existence of racism in the U.S. healthcare system as protests for police and justice system reform take place across the country. He believes the healthcare system needs to take most of the responsibility for the health problems that many black individuals face. The article details the many health disparities that exist, including the prevalence of chronic conditions and access to care, many of which are laid bare in the COVID-19 crisis.
The article calls for an end to the study of disparities, and instead urges action for solutions. Dr. Carroll wrote that it is time to invest in public health, to provide healthcare access to everyone and to train physicians to avoid implicit and explicit racial bias.
Dr. Carroll is a nationally recognized expert in health policy and research. He works to explain complex science concepts in ways that the everyday person can understand. He writes regularly for the New York Times and other news outlets as well as his own research blog, the Incidental Economist. He is also a professor of pediatrics, vice chair of health outcomes research faculty development and the associate dean of research mentoring at Indiana University School of Medicine.
