Epidemiology in the context of white supremacy: critical questions to align the discipline with health equity

Epidemiologists have a white supremacy problem. As epidemiologists, we know that a system designed to uphold the privilege of a particular class does not lend itself to health equity. But as a field, we have a great deal to learn about the culture that white supremacy creates around itself, and how that culture shapes our work. We therefore invite our colleagues to consider: Do we need a new definition of epidemiology? And do our older visions of the field adequately empower us to challenge the dominant power structures of our times, rooted as they are in systemic white supremacy? We provide some questions that may guide us to a new vision for epidemiology.