First-of-a-kind book breaks new ground toward more equitable medical care, to be published by Elsevier

A groundbreaking new text, Anti-Racist Medicine, edited by Dr Zeshan Qureshi (University of Cambridge), Professor Mehrunisha Suleman (University of Oxford), and Professor Joseph L. Graves Jr. (North Carolina A&T State University), was launched in Westminster yesterday. It offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary roadmap to tackling ethnic inequities across healthcare.

At the event, lead editor, Zeshan Qureshi acknowledged how governments and institutions are dealing with complex anti-racism environments. However, this book provides evidence that ignoring any disparities leads to poorer health outcomes, and at the same time offers a roadmap for vital improvements.

Michelle West, MP for Sherwood Forest said “Equity is not an add-on, it is fundamental to safe care and if care is not equitable it is not safe. So, I want to thank everyone involved in bringing this book together. For your honesty, for your courage and for your determination to drive change, because progress only happens when we are willing to confront what is uncomfortable and real change only happens when we decide the status quo is no longer acceptable. This book helps us to do both”

The book will be published in June 2026 and has already secured endorsements from senior leaders across the UK medical establishment, including multiple medical royal college leaders, positioning it as an essential resource for clinical training and NHS policy development.

Combining historical, scientific, and societal perspectives, the book examines how race and ethnicity shape health outcomes, medical education, and clinical practice. It addresses persistent disparities, from maternal and infant mortality to mental health outcomes and workforce inequalities, while emphasising the complex, intersecting factors that drive them.

Crucially, Anti-Racist Medicine moves beyond analysis to action, setting out practical solutions across five key domains: leadership, education, workforce, clinical care, and research and technology.

Described by Professor Habib Naqvi MBE, CEO of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, as “a much-needed book” that not only highlights challenges but “outlines clear solutions,” and strongly recommended by Dr Lade Smith CBE, President Royal College of Psychiatrists, “so that we can offer care that is not only clinically sound but also attentive to the cultural contexts and lived experiences of the patients we serve” the book is a vital guide for healthcare professionals, educators, policymakers, and researchers committed to advancing equity in medicine.

Notes to Editors

Significant disparities persist across UK healthcare outcomes and workforce experiences for different ethnic and social groups. For example:

• Black infants have a mortality rate twice that of White British infants.

• Type 2 diabetes prevalence is two to six times higher among South Asian and Black populations compared with White populations.

• Black African and Caribbean individuals are six to nine times more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.

• Black individuals are also four times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act and be subjected to restrictive interventions in hospital settings.

• Within the UK medical workforce, 82% of NHS trusts report higher levels of harassment, bullying, or abuse directed at staff from minoritised ethnic backgrounds.

• Suicide rates among White Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities are elevated, particularly among women.

These figures highlight the complex and systemic nature of health inequities, shaped by intersecting social, structural, and institutional factors. Sources can be provided, together with the full Preface of the book, which is available to pre-order here.

Pictures of the event are available on request.

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