Sean Valles (Michigan State University)
I argue that race concepts can, and must, be used in biomedicine, but that each use must contribute to ameliorating racism. I apply two population health science concepts to help clarify how and why it is important to explicitly address race and racism in biomedicine. 1) The explanation of racial health disparities' via so-called "causes of incidence" combined with pragmatic theory of explanation. 2) The structure of racism as a cause of ill health, via Fundamental Cause Theory. I illustrate the argument with the case of the drug BiDil.
