Is doing better science enough?: An autoethnographic study of a multidisciplinary collaboration to measure structural racism

OBJECTIVES: Addressing structural racism remains a critical challenge in population health and social sciences, as traditional quantitative approaches often fail to disrupt long-standing racialized health hierarchies. This study critically interrogates the process of a multidisciplinary scientific collaboration attempting to operationalize and measure life course structural racism while enacting an anti-racist praxis. DESIGN: Utilizing a collaborative analytic autoethnography framework grounded in social cognitive theory and anti-racist praxis, our team - comprising biostatisticians, nurse scientists, epidemiologists, gerontologists, social scientists, and a nephrologist across racialized groups, career stages, and institutions - treated our team process as a socio-analytical field site. We examined the tension between individualistic paradigms and systemic measurement, gathering qualitative field data from team deliberations, and a dedicated focus group. RESULTS: Three primary autoethnographic themes emerged: operationalizing and understanding structural racism, constructing methodological infrastructure, and navigating accountability and the pursuit of a multidimensional measure. While qualitative life-course history interviews, expert panels, public podcasts, and a national survey advanced conceptual and data infrastructure, significant methodological barriers - including historical address recall, geocoding missingness, and geographic mismatch - prevented immediate measure validation. Autoethnographic reflection revealed how institutional incentives, capitalistic academic pressures, and funding mechanisms complicate collective equity work. CONCLUSION: By interrogating our collaborative process, we demonstrate that doing 'different science' requires prioritizing reflexive, collective team dynamics and infrastructure over rapid measure production. Embedding anti-racist praxis and community accountability into scientific collaborations offers a transformative pathway for advancing structural racism research and dismantling systemic health inequities.