U.S. government revises race, ethnicity data collection standards

Health equity cannot be advanced without data collection, analysis, reporting, and dissemination beyond the traditional racial and ethnic categories that have been the norm for the past 25 years. More precise and comprehensive data collecting from the use of these revised criteria may help academics, policymakers, and health care professionals more successfully identify and remedy injustices. As a result, resources and interventions can be directed to where they are needed most, especially to communities facing the greatest health challenges.

The moderator of the roundtable is Tina Kauh, Senior Program Officer in the Research-Evaluation-Learning Unit at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The panelists include Meeta Anand, Senior Director of Census and Data Equity at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund; Maya Berry, Executive Director of the Arab American Institute; and Ninez Ponce, Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.