Structural Racism in Healthcare and Research Course

This free course, sponsored by the UR CTSI and Center for Community Health & Prevention, explores how the history of racism has shaped the relationship between doctors/researchers and patients/research participants who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Many of us know about the Tuskegee syphilis experiment in which effective treatment was withheld from Black men, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. There have been countless abusive medical studies and practices since the time of slavery to present day. Enslaved individuals were experimented on, including surgical techniques without anesthesia. In the 19^th century, students at American medical schools stole the corpses of recently buried Black people to be used for dissection. Birth control measures were disproportionately tested in Black women. Between the 1930s and 1970s there was a program of forced sterilization of Puerto Rican women. Critically examining and acknowledging the history of racism in our healthcare and research systems is essential to closing the health equity gap.

About the Course

This course is open to University of Rochester faculty, staff, trainees and students as well as community members (typically from community-based organizations).

Developed and is facilitated by our community partners, this course provides foundational knowledge of critical race theory and structural competency. At the end of the course participants should understand that racism, and not race, causes health disparities. They should also have a clear understanding of why mistrust of the healthcare system and the long history of their exploitation in research, is the primary reason for BIPOC individuals not participating in research studies.

We are grateful for our partnership with Anthony Jordan Health Center. In person meetings will be held at Jordan’s location at 214 Lake Ave, Rochester. Learn more about how community members led the development and implementation of the course in the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.

Dedication to Edgar Santa Cruz

The planning and facilitation team dedicates this course to Edgar Santa Cruz, a social worker and dedicated public servant who passed away tragically at the end of 2022. Edgar was a past participant of this course and was going to begin facilitating the course in the spring of 2023. We grieve the loss of our friend and colleague and hope to carry on his memory through this work. 

Photo courtesy of Cameron Ministries. 

Course Sessions

Sessions will be held on Wednesday evenings from March 29 through May 24. If you have questions, please email Laura_Sugarwala@URMC.Rochester.edu.

Meet the Facilitators