A Need for More Black Doctors
January 12, 2021
The United States has a high infant mortality rate of 5.7 per 1000 live births, but the rate for Black babies is even higher:10.8 per 1000. The Washington Post recently reported on a new study showing that when Black babies are delivered by Black doctors, their mortality rate is cut by half. The reasons for this disparity are not understood, but the study points to the need for more Black doctors. Last year, Issues published a perspective by Arri Eisen on the 20 year history of Emory University’s FIRST program—Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching—which was started at the suggestion of Clifton Poodry at the National Institutes of Health. It has become a model for many other programs to increase the numbers of talented underrepresented minority students pursuing biomedical careers.