Identifying Best Practices for Conducting Anti-Racist Pediatric Research
Statement of Problem
Too often, research has contributed to systemic racial inequities in health. Research can play a role in creating or perpetuating racist beliefs by failing to address research questions that predominately affect people of color and indigenous populations, misinterpreting racial and ethnic data, incorrectly attributing racial and ethnic differences to biology, using non-representative research samples and under-prioritizing research that might mitigate the impacts of racism.
Anti-racist research attempts to right these wrongs. Anti-racist research is conducted by a researcher who believes that racial and ethnic groups are equal, that no single racial or ethnic group needs developing, and who supports policies to reduce racial inequities. Most importantly, anti-racist research contributes to the creation, implementation or evaluation of programs, policies or interventions aimed at deconstructing racial health inequities and the structural forces that drive them. Anti-racist research practices should be sought by all researchers, not just those who work in the health equity space.
While many researchers aim to conduct inclusive research that abides by these practices, many more would be capable of doing so if they had adequate tools and training.
Learn more about the need for anti-racist research and what inspired this project in this video.
Description
Our team consolidated best practices to help pediatric researchers engage in anti-racist research practices and we plan to disseminate creatively to interested groups. We reviewed existing literature to identify best practices for conducting anti-racist research, and to elevate the voices of scholars who have been writing about these topics for decades.
Using this literature review, our team of multi-disciplinary experts developed consensus guidance through a modified Delphi process for anti-racist practices for each step of the research process. We aim to develop practical, actionable guidance to arm researchers with the tools to help ensure their own research does not contribute to racist study designs or racist data interpretations, but rather helps to reverse long-standing trends in scientific racism.
You can find a condensed version of our guidance, along with full references, here.
Next Steps
In addition to publishing our guidance, we hope this project will contribute to the development of multiple outputs, including a checklist for researchers to employ, presentations and research trainings. We hope that consolidating and disseminating these tools will help funders, regulatory agencies, journals and researchers elevate their standards to promote more equitable, anti-racist research.
Suggested Citation
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PolicyLab. Identifying Best Practices for Conducting Anti-Racist Pediatric Research [Online]. Available at: http://www.policylab.chop.edu [Accessed: plug in date accessed here].