How AI Can Remedy Racial Disparities In Healthcare

The story of American medicine is one of incredible scientific advancements, from the use of penicillin to treat syphilis and other bacterial infections to the countless biomedical breakthroughs made possible by cell-line research. Too often, however, these stories ignore an uncomfortable truth: Some of our nation's most significant medical discoveries were made possible through the mistreatment of Black patients--from the exploitation of African American farmers during the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments to the tragic case of Henrietta Lacks, a black patient whose cells were stolen by doctors and used for decades of cell-line research. Racism is woven into our nation's medical past but is also part of our present, as evidenced by the Covid-19 crisis. From testing to treatment, Black and Latino patients have received a lower quality and quantity of care compared white Americans. As a country, we now have the opportunity to reverse course.