Currently attending the @ASNKidney webinar, "Going Beyond the Statement: Dismantling Systemic Racism in Nephrology".

Excellent discussion so far! Will share some points that stand out to me here...

"Race is not a risk factor [for disease] - racism is a risk factor." - Dr. Vanessa Grubbs, @thenephrologist

Piece on the role our reviewers and journal editors have on promoting misconceptions on race in the medical literature.

"On Racism: A New Standard For Publishing On Racial Health Inequities"

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200630.939347/full/

Racism in medicine is a systemic issue.
Pipeline is the problem:
- Re-segregation in K-12 schools
- Lack of minority representation in medical school/residency/fellowship faculty less recruitment from minority communities

Awareness of racism in 'gatekeeping':
"We need to recognize when you get people at the same level and one has gone through a lot of hardships to get there, that needs to be taken into account - without thinking 'well their board scores aren't that great'...."

The valuing of publications + RVUs as opposed to consideration of community/institutional involvement, diversity + recruitment, and is problematic.

This current emphasis restricts, inhibits diversity.

"We need to promote health literacy... it is difficult to understand this system especially if you have been disenfranchised." - Will Ross, MD MPH

Make the txp process more equitable:
-Identify pt-specific limitations (# jobs, work sched, etc) + how they affect healthcare interactions. Don't assume "non-compliance".
-Check race-based, education-based assumptions
-Race in eGFR equation means blacks considered for txp later

We need to accelerate our work on biomarkers of kidney function.

Cr-based eGFR has tons of limitations - not the best fit for everyone. Ex, those with amputations.

Personal thought: Let's make cystatin C more accessible + cheaper!

To summarize...
- Stop thinking of race as biological
- Improve diversity in the pipeline
- Hold ourselves accountable at every level (research, publishing)
- Make policies equitable

Thanks for a great session, @ASNKidney!