UCSF Prevention Science: HIV/AIDS Prevention Research in Black/African American Communities

Historically and presently, Black Americans endure disproportionately worse health outcomes and discrimination in healthcare. First, I will present data (including a nationally representative sample) that assesses the influence of the quality of healthcare experiences on medical trust and early COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy in Black Americans. Next, this presentation deeply examines the specific context and experiences in physician-Black patient interactions that may erode medical trust. This is done in a qualitative study conducted with Black American women with breast cancer, a group with repeated exposure to the medical community. Also, I will discuss research that tests how learning about the stories of Black American experiences in healthcare can increase White American perspective-taking. Implications for how medical institutions can build trust with the Black community by acknowledging and addressing injustice in the healthcare system will be discussed.

Dr. Kimberly J. Martin is a University of California President’s Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC San Francisco. She earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from UCLA and her B.A. in Psychology, with honors and high distinction, from UC Berkeley. Her research centers on the impact of inequity and the importance of history to current experiences, perceptions, and mental/physical health outcomes of minoritized people. Specifically, much of her research looks at the experiences of Black Americans in the healthcare system. It tests how to improve outcomes for Black Americans by increasing the acknowledgment of and support for addressing racism.