#5 - Dr. Christopher King: Addressing Systemic Racism in Healthcare

Dr. Christopher King is the inaugural Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Health and an associate professor whose work focuses on healthcare, public health, and racial justice. With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare sector, Dr. King is a nationally recognized speaker on achieving equitable systems of care.

In this episode, Dr. King helps me navigate the complex terrain of racial inequalities in healthcare. We dissect systemic racism's deep-seated roots, from institutional biases to the pressing crisis of maternal mortality among African American women. Dr. King takes me through history to understand how past injustices shape today’s healthcare landscape, especially in the context of COVID-19 and Washington, D.C. He brings forward groundbreaking strategies to dismantle these disparities, focusing on atonement, diversity in the medical workforce, and the crucial role of public awareness. We conclude with a forward-looking discussion on how philanthropy, technology, and AI might reshape the pursuit of racial equality in healthcare. 

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) Channel Intro

(00:02:00) Episode Intro

(00:05:40) Defining Race in Healthcare

(00:16:15) Defining Racism: Institutionalized, Personally-mediated, and Internalized

(00:26:19) Evidence: Maternal Mortality and Cancer

(00:32:50) Historical Context: Slavery, Jim Crow Era, Immigration, Eugenics, Sterilizations, Tuskegee Study, and Henrietta Lacks

(00:50:57) COVID-19 and Reconceptualizing Race

(00:54:50) Disparities in Washington D.C.

(01:04:00) Proximity to Black

(01:06:40) Medical Errors

(01:08:36) Tackling Racial Inequalities: Atonement, Measuring Racism, Workplace Diversity, and Awareness

(01:21:54) Philanthropy, Narcissism, and Social Media

(01:28:11) Artificial Intelligence

(01:31:04) Outro

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Chapters

• 0:00 Channel Intro
• 2:00 Episode Introduction
• 5:40 Defining Race in Healthcare
• 16:15 Defining Racism: Institutionalized, Personally-mediated, and Internalized
• 26:19 Evidence: Maternal Mortality and Cancer
• 32:50 Historical Context: Slavery, Jim Crow Era, Immigration, Eugenics, Sterilizations, Tuskegee Study, and Henrietta Lacks
• 50:57 COVID-19 and Reconceptualizing Race
• 54:50 Disparities in Washington D.C.
• 1:04:00 Proximity to Black
• 1:06:40 Medical Errors
• 1:08:36 Tackling Racial Inequalities: Atonement, Measuring Racism, Workplace Diversity, and Awareness
• 1:21:54 Philanthropy, Narcissism, and Social Media
• 1:28:11 Artificial Intelligence
• 1:31:04 Outro