Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
All Things Considered
Tom Crann

New center to reframe how we research health disparities

A doctor checks on a boy at a clinic.
Dr. Janice Bacon, a primary care physician with Central Mississippi Health Services, checks on Jeremiah Young, 11, a back-to-school physical, at the Community Health Care Center on the Tougaloo College campus, in Tougaloo, Miss., in August 2020. As a Black primary care physician, Bacon has created a safe space for her Black patients during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rogelio V. Solis | AP Photo 2020

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A new grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota will support antiracism research in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. Rachel Hardeman, an associate professor in the school, designed the program and will be its founding director.

She said the goal is to reframe how we think about and research health disparities.

“I think one of the most perfect examples of this is with maternal mortality,” Hardeman said. “Black women are four times more likely to experience maternal death, and over the years we’ve seen a lot of discussions that suggest that the reasons behind that are because Black women may be engaging in riskier behavior, or they’re not accessing their prenatal care visits, or they’re coming into pregnancy less healthy, they’re obese, things like that.

“But when we flip that question and really take an antiracism research lens to that research question, what see and what we understand is that there are systems at play that have caused Black birthing people to be less healthy when they come into childbirth,” she said, adding that Black women with high socioeconomic backgrounds and advanced degrees are still at greater risk of dying during childbirth than white women who don’t have a high school diploma.

Hardeman discussed her new Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity with host Tom Crann. Click play on the audio player above to hear their conversation.