U.S. research many times focuses on the health of white people rather than diverse populations, contributing to health inequities for many groups.
A new APHA Press book, “Race and Research: Minority Participation in Health Studies,” looks at the importance of racial diversity in health research from social, historical, ethical and biological angles. Its chapters by experts from a range of disciplines underscore the complexity of the issue and necessity to bring health equity to people of all races and ethnicities.
“Race is one of the most analyzed, but often misunderstood, factors in research,” co-editor Bettina Beech, DrPH, MPH, a population health professor at the at the University of Houston, told The Nation’s Health. “The authors who contributed to this volume highlight the complexity of how race is used in contemporary studies and offer fresh perspectives for consideration.”
The volume is a second edition, with expanded sections and additional chapters. The first volume published 20 years ago explored the influence of the National Institutes of Health’s 1994 guidelines for research, including women and people of color in clinical research and why participation was limited. In 2018, NIH launched the All of Us Research Program, with a goal of improving health and medicine for underrepresented people by increasing research participation among a wider range of groups.
But despite All of Us and other similar programs, creating diversity in U.S. health research data continues to be a challenge.
Beech, who co-edited the first edition, said the health inequities during the emergency phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased attention to injustices experienced by Black Americans — propelled by the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 — made her realize the time was right for a second edition.
Beech co-edited “Race and Research” with Elizabeth Heitman, PhD, a professor of ethics in science and medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Center. Heitman’s background in research ethics and integrity gives the book added depth.
“One of the strengths of this book is that the contributors take a broad look at how we got here and how we might be able to untangle things and improve people’s health,” Heitman told The Nation’s Health.
“Race and Research” discusses the meaning of race in health research and explores how interpretations of race resulted in unethical conduct in health research in the 20th century. The topic is also examined from a social and behavioral context.
Also explored is the impact of artificial intelligence, which offers many positives for race and research. However, AI algorithms using historical data that has biases against underrepresented groups will reproduce those biases, tainting outcomes and analysis, authors say.
“Race and Research” also includes a discussion on training the next generation of scientists to create diverse cohorts in research.
While there are many training programs for students, “there’s not very much written about how to teach people to do recruitment, or retention or how to structure a study that looks at the bigger picture of looking at race,” Heitman said.
For more on “Race and Research: Minority Participation in Health Studies,” visit www.aphabookstore.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association