I love reading so here’s a little thread of books that may be of interest - they have all influenced my clinical practice, research & activism in some way. #medtwitter /1

First up, this by Christina Page - it describes how precarious sexual & reproductive rights are in the US & globally. I read this in 2007 and it helped me decide to work in sexual health & made me realise that doctors can be advocates & activists as well. /2

Next, a classic! Recommended to me as a registrar. Taught me so much! Including the politics of a new viral epidemic, media representation, academic infighting. And importantly, the story of those activists who resisted & advocated for significant advances in research & policy /3

I read this after seeing the truly great Dr Suniti Solomon give a keynote on the opening night of CROI 2010. It widened my perspective on HIV globally & in India specifically. Such incredible writers too! /4

This, by Prof Dorothy Roberts taught me about race medicine & how it is #racismnotrace that is a social determinant of health. A seminal text! I look forward to reading her ‘Killing the Black Body’ on the historic & ongoing battle against the reproductive rights of Black women /5

In this, @LundyBraun writes about the the history of the spirometer, it’s use on enslaved Black people in the US, & shows how biological concepts of race enter modern medical practice. It made me question why we ‘correct for race/ethnicity’ when calculating measurements today /6

In this (the first of two I love by Angela Saini) she describes how medical research has been affected by sexism & challenges gender stereotypes. Eye-opening. /7

The book I think should be on every medical school curriculum - Medical Apartheid by @haw95. This explains how much of our medical knowledge comes from unethical experimentation & how power imbalances between white physicians & black patients have been shaped over centuries
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The second book I love by Angela Saini. She l talks about the origins of scientific racism, how it can still impact medicine today & how we mustn’t be complacent by about this. More here>> https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/27/superior-the-return-of-race-science-by-angela-saini-book-review /9

Next up not a book, but a podcast - @thepraxispod by @EdwinLindo is a superb, detailed & accesible look at what types of racism there are & how they affect health outcomes. Especially enjoyed the episode on medical education. /10 https://twitter.com/thepraxispod/status/1221865828271812612?s=21

Next up “An Introduction to Critical Race Theory”. This emphasised for me the need to look outside of medicine & science to understand racial inequalities in health. Introduced me to the concept of “counter narratives”, which I would to see looked at more in medicine /11

To understand the origins of the hostile immigration environment, which affects our patients including access to healthcare, this by @mayagoodfellow is a very important read.