Institutional Racism in Health and Science

the IRHS chicken's name was Nelly, RIP

Welcome to the internet home of IRHS! We are a team of scientists and educators who are committed to making our science, education, and healthcare systems more inclusive and anti-racist.

We are the creators and instructors of the class CAS BI510: Institutional Racism in Health and Science, which traces the historical roots of racism in science through to its modern manifestations, examines the harmful consequences on victims’ health outcomes, and presents ideas, approaches, and practices to ameliorate and eradicate the presence of racism in our institutions.

We created the FELIX critical reading tool that trains students to read scientific communications not for technical or scientific accuracy, but through the lens of implicit social bias.

CAS BI510 is cross-listed in the Graduate Program in Bioinformatics (CDS BF 510) and course materials have been adapted to several other settings including BU Wheelock’s EdM in Education for Equity and Social Justice.