BOOKS
In Negligent by Design, Dr. Vanessa Grubbs argues that racism in American medicine is institutional, built into diagnostic criteria and training rather than caused by a few bad actors, which makes unequal treatment of Black patients the de facto standard of care. She frames the problem through three failures: "race based" practices that worsen treatment decisions, "race disregarded" gaps like ignoring how conditions look on darker skin, and "race denied" refusal to admit racism exists. Rather than superficial fixes like diversity statements, she calls for a diverse physician workforce and genuine cultural humility to rebuild the system.
In Hundreds of Interlaced Fingers, Dr. Vanessa Grubbs tells the story of falling in love with Robert, a man suffering from end-stage kidney disease, and volunteering one of her own kidneys early in their relationship after discovering she was a match. That life-changing experience deepened their bond, became a foundation of their marriage, and inspired her to become a nephrologist, where she learned far more about the realities of dialysis and transplantation.
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Available for keynotes, panels, and workshops on medicine, race, and policy.
