The Take Is US healthcare still using racist medical practices?
Sep 1, 2025
Jazmin Evans, a kidney transplant patient and PhD student of Africology, dives into her shocking experience with racially biased medical testing. She reveals how this bias delayed her transplant by years. Jazmin discusses the emotional toll this has on patients and highlights the need for community awareness. The conversation also addresses systemic racism in kidney care and the importance of advocacy for equitable healthcare practices. Her inspiring journey shows how sharing personal stories can empower others and prompt necessary change.
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Early Diagnosis And Life On Dialysis
- Jazmin Evans was diagnosed with kidney disease at 17 after a sports physical revealed protein in her urine.
- She managed college, advocacy, and nightly peritoneal dialysis while building community education programs.
Race-Based Test Delayed Her Transplant
- Jazmin received a UNOS letter saying a race-based GFR test had overestimated Black patients' kidney function.
- She learned she should have been listed for transplant about four years earlier because of that bias.
Flawed Assumptions Hid Systemic Harm
- The racial adjustment in GFR calculations assumed biological difference rather than investigating social or environmental causes.
- That decision systematically delayed listing for thousands of Black kidney patients.