Race in Research

The “race” variable (including ethnicity) is used pervasively in research. When used to assess inclusion and describe the population, “race” is appropriate and essential. However, it is also used across all of academic medicine and science as a predictor variable. This practice is so frequent it is nearly reflexive, yet it is deeply flawed.

In recent years, people have begun to note serious concerns with prior work that included “race” as a predictor variable. For instance, calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGRF) included “race,” which led to biased decisions regarding allocation of kidney transplant. The practice of including “race” as a predictor variable inadvertently embeds structural racism within the practice of medicine itself.

Dr. Enders’ goals in this work include 1) alerting researchers to this issue and 2) developing alternative predictor variables.