No group has suffered more from the COVID-19 pandemic than Black and Latinx populations. Systemic racism, Ciersten Burks, MD says, is to blame.
Sparked by the tragic murder of George Floyd last summer, Dr. Burks, a PGY-3 HMS OHNS resident from Indianapolis, Indiana, was published by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in April for her commentary on the disparities existing among the marginalized surgical patients she treats.
In her work, Dr. Burks explains how the pandemic has exacerbated long-existing gaps in health equity, while offering recommendations on how to mitigate such disparities. One solution Dr. Burks pointed to: increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the surgical workforce.
Dr. Burks helps lead a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Task Force for the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Mass Eye and Ear.