A study that claimed black newborn babies perform better when cared for by black doctors has been cited nearly 800 times in medical literature, according to a review by medical reform group Do No Harm.
The report looks at a widely cited study called “Physician-patient racial concordance and disparities in birthing mortality for newborns,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Though the results have been called into question since the researchers did not control for birth weight, it has still been cited at least 786 times according to Do No Harm’s new report. Justice Ketanji Jackson also misquoted the study in her dissent in the 2023 Supreme Court case which prohibited affirmative action in higher education.
Proponents of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” initiatives have cited this study to argue for privileging racial minorities for medical school. Do No Harm has previously released a different report debunking racial concordance.