New research reveals troubling racial disparities in gout care across America, with minority patients receiving less effective treatment despite facing higher disease burdens. The findings emerged from studies presented at the American College of Rheumatology’s 2025 annual meeting and related research tracking gout prevalence nationwide.Dr. Irene Tan of Einstein Healthcare Network examined real-world treatment patterns over a decade, comparing 359,020 minority patients with an equal number of white patients. Her team found that minority adults were less likely to receive allopurinol, the guideline-preferred medication for lowering uric acid levels. Instead, these patients more frequently received febuxostat and multiple acute medications…
Author: Disparity Matters
The death of Dr. Janell Green Smith following complications from childbirth has intensified concerns about persistent racial disparities in maternal healthcare. The certified nurse-midwife and doctor of nursing practice, who dedicated her career to improving maternity care and patient safety, died in early 2026 after giving birth to her first child at a Charleston community birth center.The American College of Nurse-Midwives called her death “heartbreaking and unacceptable,” noting that a Black midwife and maternal health expert dying after childbirth underscores how Black women face disproportionate pregnancy risks regardless of education, income, or professional expertise. The organization attributed these disparities to…
Preterm birth rates climbed sharply among America’s poorest families over the past decade, with racial disparities persisting even among wealthy Black mothers, according to research analyzing more than 400,000 births nationwide.From 2011 to 2021, preterm births increased from 9.7% to 11.1% among households earning below the federal poverty level. Similar increases occurred among families earning just above poverty wages, rising from 7.8% to 10.0%. Higher-income families saw no such increase.Black mothers faced significantly elevated risks across every income bracket examined. In the poorest households, Black mothers experienced 19% greater risk of preterm birth compared with white mothers. Even among the…
More than 500 women, predominantly Black, have filed a massive lawsuit against Chesapeake Regional Medical Center in Virginia, each seeking $10 million in damages. The women claim they were subjected to unnecessary reproductive procedures by former OB-GYN Javaid Perwaiz, who is currently serving a 59-year prison sentence for Medicaid fraud related to these operations.The lawsuit alleges that Perwaiz performed C-sections, hysterectomies, and tubal ligations without patient consent, often on women still within childbearing years. Most procedures were covered by Medicaid, with the hospital receiving approximately $18.5 million in reimbursements from healthcare benefit programs between 2010 and 2019.Dracena Holloway, a 42-year-old…
A decades-old vaccination strategy that dramatically reduced childhood hepatitis B infections now faces a controversial rollback that could widen health disparities for Asian and African immigrant communities.The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices issued revised guidelines in December recommending that only infants born to hepatitis B-positive mothers receive the vaccine at birth. Mothers who test negative can now opt out of newborn vaccination, a stark departure from the universal birth-dose policy that has been in place for years.Dr. Samuel So, founder and executive director of the Asian Liver Center at Stanford University, warns the change is “short-sighted and not evidence-based.”…
Documented How Structural Racism Drives Cancer Disparities for Black Americans.
Championed “Pharmacoequity” to Combat Medication Disparities Affecting Black Patients.
Pioneered Research on Postpartum Depression in Black New York Mothers.
Built California’s First Statewide Black Birth Justice Movement.
Created First Program Addressing Black Patients’ Barriers to Lifesaving Organs