More Than Skin Deep: Exploring Racial Disparities in Healthcare

In recent years, diversity and inclusion has become the focus of every company and business in the world due to the rising societal pressure of avoiding being “canceled”. In America, the unfortunate truth is that healthcare is a business, and it is not exempt from feeling these societal pressures, and although strides are being made in a positive direction, racism is a systemic issue that spans far beyond a change in company culture. Being that skin tone is a pertinent element of racism, one can see how the study of skin, known as dermatology, can easily be influenced by racial discrimination. Throughout this thesis paper, I want to discuss not only the racial disparities in healthcare, but I want to also explore how these disparities impact the patient and provider alike.