A Randomized Trial to Identify the Effects of Provider Race on the Health Behavior of Black Men

Reducing racial disparities in health outcomes is a major policy concern in the United States. Although there has been recent progress to close the gap, black men continue to experience earlier morbidity and mortality from preventable and manageable medical conditions, and live on average 4.5 years less than their white male peers. An oft-prescribed solution to close this stubborn gap is to increase the diversity of the healthcare workforce. Another common policy tool to increase take-up of preventative healthcare services are subsidies. In this randomized evaluation, the research team will estimate the effects of subsidies and a racially concordant physician on the uptake of preventive health services in Oakland, California.

Learn more: 

• Evaluation Summary: Matching Provider Race to Increase Take-up of Preventive Health Services among Black Men in the United States
• Publication: Does Diversity Matter for Health? Experimental Evidence from Oakland

Media coverage: 

• The Black-white life expectancy gap grew in 2020 — but it can be reversed, Vox
• Racism undermines the health of Black Americans. This physician-economist is looking for solutions, PBS NewsHour
• Examining Inequity, The New England Journal of Medicine's "Not Otherwise Specified"
• Texas Tech agreement to abandon race in med school admissions will worsen health disparities, StatNews
• Doctors worry Texas Tech medical school admissions policy will undermine diversity in physician workforce, Fierce Healthcare