Racism and Access to Medicines

This seminar will discuss research findings on racism as a barrier to accessing medicines in the Canadian setting. Dr. Moscou and Aeda conducted a study to investigate the manifestations of structural racism and the impact of implicit bias on accessing medicines. Specifically, they undertook a scoping review using the STARLITE literature retrieval approach and an analysis of census tract data in Toronto, Canada. The findings of this study revealed that structural and institutional governance, and practice and implicit biases have diminished access to medicines by Black, Indigenous, and other racialized groups. Additionally, the findings revealed that racism corrupts and impedes equitable access to medicines.

Presented by

Dr. Kathy Moscou
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor, Faculty of Design, OCAD University and Fellow, WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Transparency & Accountability in the Pharmaceutical Sector 

Aeda Bhagaloo
MSc in Global Health, McMaster University and Co-Editor-in-Chief, Global Health: Annual Review 

Hosted by

Dr. Jillian Kohler
Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto and Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Governance, Transparency & Accountability in the Pharmaceutical Sector

Supported by the Connaught Global Challenge Award