There's No Excuse For Doctors To Treat Patients According To Race

This past November I had the opportunity take part in TEDMED as a TEDMED Scholar. The week consisted of numerous talks from exceptional leaders in the field of health, medicine and innovation. There was also time set aside for discussion and debate. Few were as compelling as the presentation by Professor Dorothy Roberts.

Her poignant talk centered around how we view race in medicine. During her talk, which was just released, Professor Roberts suggests that we revisit the concept of race when it comes to delivering health care and conducting research on health.

I had a chance to ask Professor Roberts some follow-up questions around this very important topic as part of a three-part series interviewing engaging speakers from TEDMED -- speakers that aimed to push the envelope in their work, and innovate the world of health and medicine today and into the future.

AK: You gave an incredible TEDMED talk last month. Before we get into discussing some of the issues you described, do you mind sharing what inspired you to look deeper into understandings of...