Editor of top US medical journal put on leave amid outcry over racism podcast
The editor-in-chief of Jama, the Journal of the American Medical Association, has been placed on leave amid controversy over comments about structural racism made on a podcast by one of his deputies.
The New York Times reported that the American Medical Association told staff on Thursday Dr Howard Bauchner would be replaced by an interim editor while an investigation was carried out.
The comments at issue were made by Dr Ed Livingston in February, in conversation with Dr Mitch Katz on a podcast entitled “Structural Racism for Doctors – What is It?”
“Structural racism is an unfortunate term,” Livingston said. “Personally, I think taking racism out of the conversation will help. Many people like myself are offended by the implication that we are somehow racist.”
A tweet promoting the podcast said: “No physician is racist, so how can there be structural racism in healthcare? An explanation of the idea by doctors for doctors.”
The tweet was deleted but backlash was intense.
In one tweet, Dr Uché Blackstock, founder of Advancing Health Equity, wrote: “1) Yes, physicians can absolutely be racist. 2) Yes, physicians can be complicit in upholding the practices and policies of systemic racism. 3) [T]his tweet shouldn’t have be[e]n deleted. It was … (yet, again) another learning opportunity for your journal.”
Nearly 7,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling for Jama to “stop perpetuating racism in medicine”.
The podcast was also deleted. In a statement replacing it online, Bauchner said: “Comments made in the podcast were inaccurate, offensive, hurtful and inconsistent with the standards of Jama.
“Racism and structural racism exist in the US and in healthcare. After careful consideration, I determined that the harms caused by the podcast outweighed any reason for the podcast to remain available on the Jama Network.
“I once again apologise for the harms caused by this podcast and the tweet about the podcast. We are instituting changes that will address and prevent such failures from happening again.”
Livingston resigned. Katz said: “Systemic racism exists in our country [as] the disparate effects of the pandemic have made this painfully clear in New York City and across the country.”
Bauchner also said the Jama oversight committee was looking into the matter, and that an investigation and report that would be “thorough and completed rapidly”.
Two weeks later, however, he was placed on administrative leave.
Speaking to the New York Times, Blackstock said: “I think [the podcast] caused an incalculable amount of pain and trauma to Black physicians and patients. And I think it’s going to take a long time for the journal to heal that pain.”