29. Tuskegee Trauma: How lethal is medical racism?

In the 1930s in Tuskegee, Alabama, hundreds of men signed up to a medical study which offered free transportation to and from hospitals, free hot lunches and free medicine for most diseases.

But the men were not informed of their diagnosis or treated for the disease that was killing them - syphilis.

This study went on for 40 years and 128 men died from syphilis and related conditions.

On this episode of Bad People, Dr. Julia Shaw and comedian Sofie Hagen discuss whether or not the Tuskegee syphilis study is impacting the uptake of the COVID vaccine in America today, how racism impacts medical research, and the importance of tackling everyday racism.

This episode includes audio from NBC news, ABC news, and White House Television.

Warning: This episode contains strong language and discussion of racism. CREDITS Presenters: Dr. Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen Producer: Caroline Steel Artwork: Kingsley Nebechi Music: Matt Chandler Series Editor: Rami Tzabar Academic Consultants for The Open University: Dr. Zoe Walkington Dr. Camilla Elphick Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds #BadPeople_BBC