Rethinking the use of population descriptors in dermatology trials and beyond: disentangling race and ethnicity from skin color
There is an urgent need to reconsider the use of race and ethnicity as population descriptors in dermatology research. Current systems, which conflate social identity with biological markers, perpetuate health disparities and limit the accuracy of clinical data. Moving forward, more specific descriptors such as skin color, alongside socially determined factors, will be crucial in achieving meaningful diversity and inclusivity in clinical research.
Authors
- Jade Lewis
- Angel S. Byrd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5358-4247)
- Nina G. Jablonski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7644-874X)
- Cheryl Burgess
- Roxana Daneshjou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7988-9356)
- Caryn Cobb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1842-4683)
- Jane Yoo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7112-8963)
- Stafford G. Brown (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7017-3455)
- Jenna Lester (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1849-1082)
- Andrew F Alexis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1351-9165)
- Junko Takeshita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9650-9738)
- Yvette Miller-Monthrope
- Chidubem A. V. Okeke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5614-5346)
- Valerie Dawn Callender (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1297-5270)
- Tarannum Jaleel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2362-5121)
- Candrice Heath (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2687-5468)
- Seemal R. Desai (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3022-5169)
- Susan C. Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2698-723X)
- Suephy C. Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0678-7380)
- Valerie M. Harvey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9623-4009)
- Jonathan Weiss
- Amy J McMichael
- Hema Sundaram
Institutions
- Mount Auburn Hospital (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University Health Network (CA)
- Harvard University (US)
- Howard University (US)
- Emory University (US)
- Duke University (US)
- University of California, San Francisco (US)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Cornell University (US)
- Women's College Hospital (CA)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Lander Institute (IL)
- Cosmetic Laser Dermatology (US)
- Gwinnett Dermatology (US)
- Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery (US)
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- Wake Forest University (US)
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Temple University (US)
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Archives of Dermatological Research
- Published
- 2025-04-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00403-025-04219-6
- Primary Topic
- Race, Genetics, and Society
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00