142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Considering the legacy of the subjugation of Black women's bodies in the advancement of medical science

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 8:55 AM - 9:20 AM

Nesha Z. Haniff, PhD MPH , Afro-American and African Studies and Women's Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
The remarkable discoveries in medicines and technologies in the United States would not have been possible without the experimentation and  exploitation of black women's bodies. This is significant because black women are the worst off in almost all measurements of health when ironically, it was Henrietta Lacks, a black woman from Virginia whose cells were  appropriated and developed to bring about discoveries in cancers and innumerable diseases. Doctors using the bodies of enslaved women developed critical cures in women's reproductive health.

This paper will:

describe these violations and their discoveries -

describe this legacy and it's relationship to the distrust of medical  providers  by black  populations in the US-

explain this history and distrust to specific examples of poor health outcomes in black women.

Historical texts will be used in illuminating the stories of Henrietta Lacks and enslaved women like Anarcha who was foundational in the establishment of modern gynecology. Research findings on the current poor health of black women will augment this  method of analyzing  this legacy.

In conclusion,the relationship between- race, enslavement and their encumbent exploitation of  black women's bodies will be offered as a critical analysis in  understanding the chronic poor health outcomes of black women.

Learning objectives: participants will be able to -

1. identify the ways the experimentation on black women's bodies and the chronic poor health status of Black women are connected.

2. Describe the biomedical advances that emerged from the scientific exploitation of Black women's bodies.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related education
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe the ways Black women's bodies like Henrietta Lacks and others have been appropriated in the advancement of medical science.

Keyword(s): African American, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: My area of work is gender race and health and I have been teaching on issues of science and women's bodies for the last ten years and have spent a considerable amount of time on the history of scientific advances made by US researchers based on unrestricted experimentation on Black women's bodies.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3076.0: While their eyes were watching God: The health of Black women and girls in the South