[PBS Colloquium Series] Black Americans’ Healthcare Experiences: Understanding the Past and Present to Envision a More Equitable Future
Speaker
Dr. Kimberly J. MartinLocation
Sage Conference Room, Psych 1312Info
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted Black Americans' dire and disproportionately negative health outcomes and healthcare experiences. This spotlight also incited public discourse about the lack of medical trust in the Black community. Importantly, these experiences and outcomes for Black Americans began long before the COVID-19 pandemic. First, I will present data (including a nationally representative sample) that assesses the influence of the quality of healthcare experiences on medical trust and early COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy for Black Americans. Next, I will share research that examines physician-Black patient interactions that may erode medical trust from a qualitative study conducted with Black American women with breast cancer, a group with repeated exposure to the medical community. Lastly, I will discuss research that tests how learning about the stories of Black American experiences in healthcare can increase White Americans’ perspective-taking. Lastly, I will discuss the implications of my research for current policies and how medical institutions can rebuild trust with the Black community.
