In this Health Affairs essay, Ben Danielson, MD, clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, recounts the painful story of a Black pediatric patient and his mother as they navigate a hospital stay.

In the US, racism affects every aspect of people’s lives, including personal health and the health care system. Research shows that families of color face both structural and interpersonal racism in health care and in other systems that drive racial and ethnic disparities in health and well-being. Read more.