About this theme area:
Structural Racism and Health
The aim of this cohort is to generate research useful for dismantling structural racism, improving health, and advancing health equity. Achieving health equity through action oriented-research—especially for communities of color; those in low socioeconomic positions; and Native populations—is a core value of the program. By action-oriented, we refer to research that examines and seeks to understand the delivery or impact of a policy, program, or other change on unequal distributions in population health. Within the broader area of structural racism and health, applicants are strongly encouraged to propose studies that reveal actionable solutions for improving the health of populations through public or private sector policies and/or programs.
Racism exists and contributes to health inequities. Structural racism refers to “the totality of ways in which societies foster racial discrimination through mutually reinforcing systems of housing, education, employment, earnings, benefits, credit, media, health care, and criminal justice” (see Bailey et al., 2017, “Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: evidence and interventions,” The Lancet). Structural racism is manifested in policies, practices, and programs in ways that segregate and prioritize populations based on race and ethnicity and create barriers to social opportunity and upward mobility. Structural racism results in systemic prejudicial treatment that disproportionately increases difficulty in accessing quality health care; education; employment; housing; fair treatment in the criminal justice system; and full participation in political systems and processes. There are decades of research that indicate that these barriers and threats drive marginalization and result in inequity in community health and well- being among Black, Indigenous, and other people of color. There is an urgent need to identify solutions for eliminating and reversing the devastating effects of structural racism.
The IRL program is interested in proposals based in institutional systems beyond health care. Projects that address historic and long-term discriminatory policies and practices that have increased and/or perpetuated segregation, health inequities, and wealth disparities are strongly encouraged. Additionally, the IRL program is interested in projects that explore strategies and interventions in social and economic systems, including transportation, land use, education, employment, and digital connectivity. The IRL program seeks applications that address questions such as:
- How can systems be changed to reduce the impact of racist, discriminatory, or exploitative practices, policies, or actions?
- How can systems be dismantled with additional information that is generated through systematic research?
IRL Teams working on projects in this theme:
- Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity in Health Care Access: COVID Pandemic Medicaid Changes
- Advancing Racial Justice Within the Movement to End Gender-Based Violence
- Building Political Voice for Latino Health: Strategies for Overcoming Voter Suppression in Iowa
- Creating Margin for the Marginalized: Evaluating A Multilevel Strategy to Address Effects of Systemic Racism in Housing on Health
- Growing Freedom Down North: Addressing Intersecting Health Inequities through Community Gardening in North Philadelphia
- Identifying practice-based strategies to promote mental health among LGBTQ+ youth of color in the context of structural racism and anti-LGBTQ+ stigma
- Identifying Solutions for Equity-centered, Data-driven, and Community-led First Response Systems in California
- Mokiha: Restoring Water and Prosperity Back to Indigenous Communities
- Power Tools: A Youth Focused Community Engaged Research Approach
- Prostate cancer patient, healthcare provider, and healthcare system perspectives on equity in the cancer care delivery system in St. Louis
- Shifting From Restorative to Transformative Justice in Baltimore's Schools: Co-Developing Strategies that Center Anti-Racism to Promote School Health
- Using Transformative Scenario Planning to Address Structural Racism in Health in North Port St. Joe, Florida
