*Angelina Jolie is concerned about the racial inequalities she sees in the health sector.
In a July 5 op-ed published in the American Journal of Nursing, Jolie discussed new technology for detecting bruises on victims of domestic violence who have darker skin. Jolie noted how medical research focuses on white skin and “often miss injuries depending on race and ethnicity.”
“As the mother of children of multiple races, I have seen my children of color be misdiagnosed, at times in ways that endangered their health,” Jolie, who adopted three children of color, wrote.
“Reflecting personally, when my daughter Zahara, who is from Ethiopia, was hospitalized for a medical procedure, the nurse told me to call her ‘if she turns pink near her incisions,’” Jolie recalled. “I stood looking blankly at her, not sure she understood what was wrong with what she had said. When she left the room, I had a talk with my daughter, both of us knowing that we would have to look for signs of infection based on our own knowledge, not what the nurse had said, despite her undoubted good intentions.”
Jolie shares three biological children with ex-husband Brad Pitt. She adopted her eldest child, Maddox, from Cambodia. Her son Pax was born in Vietnam.
In the op-ed, Jolie said her family has “access to high-quality medical care” but acknowledged that “simple diagnoses are missed because of race and continued prioritization of white skin in medicine.”
“From technology to improving diversity and representation in medical research and training, it is past time to embrace new solutions,” she wrote.
“Without use of the best available technology to detect bruising, abuse survivors of color are at a significant disadvantage in having their injuries properly identified and documented, are at greater risk for further abuse,” the Academy Award-winning actress said.
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