A team of data analysts has found the presence of Black primary care docs in a county, even a single one, means Black residents in that county live longer. Even veteran researchers call the finding stunning statnews.com/2023/04/14/bla… A sub-finding of the research is distressing: When they sought to analyze the country's more than 3,000 counties, the team had to exclude half from analysis. Because those counties didn't include a single Black physician. @JAMANetworkOpen. jamanetwork.com/journals/jaman…

I've been accused of "relentlessly" covering the pulse oximeter issue. Guilty as charged. I find this issue critical. It's a microcosm of the painful, historical, scientific & nuanced ways race interests with medicine. Here's a🧵of our coverage. statnews.com/2022/11/01/pul… First, if you're not aware of this issue (and many, including health care workers, are not), here's a beautiful visual illustration by the talented Casey Shenery.👇🏿👇🏽👇🏾👇🏻👇🏻👇👇🏿
statnews.com/2022/11/01/pul…

News today. My story here: JAMA editor-in-chief stepping down after backlash from podcast that questioned racism in medicine statnews.com/2021/06/01/jam… via @statnews Here's some backgrounder stories I wrote in case you missed them.
statnews.com/2021/04/06/pod…

The JAMA podcast was eye-opening, but problems at elite medical journals run much deeper and include a widespread and systematic mishandling of issues of race and racism. My latest for @statnews statnews.com/2021/04/06/pod… Researchers who study racism and health say their manuscripts are rejected at high rates or pushed to opinion or perspective sections, which have far less clinical -- and career -- impact. @DrMelissaSimon doesn't even bother to submit to them anymore. "Why waste my time?"

A 🧵for MLK day. A series of conversations I had with physicians for @medscape discussing, some publicly for the first time, on racisms and what it means and what it takes to be Black in medicine. Basically, there is no badge big enough. medscape.com/viewarticle/93… via @medscape The amazing @DermDocJenna who keeps her sense of humor despite racist slights: "One time when I walked into a room and someone said, "You're the doctor?" And I said, "Yup, we can be doctors now."

I want to thank @edyong209 for the great shout out this morning. I have been trying to focus on marginalized communities hit hard by the pandemic and to look for stories others aren't writing. Here's a 🧵about some of this work. statnews.com/2020/11/17/how… via @statnews I'd pretty much left journalism in 2019 due to having another job, the sudden death of my father, and a crippling house fire. I had a lot to deal with. But as the pandemic grew worse it was clear science writers were desperately needed. I was thrilled to return to @statnews.