When a medical journal published an article claiming biological differences were the cause of high COVID-19 death rates among Black Americans, Latonya Riddle-Jones, M.D., MPH and Ijeoma Nnodim Opara, M.D., FAAP, FAIM, crafted a counter editorial, underscoring the need for an equitable healthcare system free from racism, inequities, and oppression. 

“The article was a trigger for me,” said Dr. Opara. “In medical school, multiple professors taught that Black people experience worse health outcomes as if Blackness was a biological fact as opposed to a sociopolitical construct. These disparities were reported without context, without naming the drivers of slavery and structural racism. This is harmful. We’re on a mission to transform how medicine is taught and practiced.”

Opara and Riddle-Jones embarked on a pursuit to eradicate scientific racism embedded in Wayne State’s clinical algorithms—for example, the pulmonary function test, which uses a pulse oximeter to determine the amount of oxygen in a person’s blood. Recent research has revealed pulse oximeters produce less accurate readings for individuals with darker skin tones—significantly increasing the risk of misdiagnosing low oxygen levels. With support from leadership, they are updating the institution’s clinical care practices and deepening community engagement in Detroit. Beyond their backyard, they are building partnerships across the country and organizing a national conference on race-based medicine. 

“Our motivation stemmed from the realization that misinformation can and does lead to harmful consequences,” said Dr. Riddle-Jones. “Including high mortality rates among patients of color.”