Challenging Medicine: A Medical Student’s Chance to Change the Field of Nephrology

Abstract

Naomi Nkinsi attended a lecture at the University of Washington School of Medicine when she learned about estimated glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR. This equation is used to determine the kidney function of a patient and create a treatment plan accordingly. The professor mentioned that a coefficient in the eGFR equation was adjusted if a patient was Black. Nkinsi conducted research on the equation and concluded that the adjustment had no biological backing and was simply racially biased. As she brought this issue to light, her peers, professors, administrators, and outside healthcare professionals criticized her. As a Black, female, first-year medical student, Nkinsi was destined to have her concerns discounted. The history of medicine is full of instances where Black people—especially Black women—were discredited and abused for the sake of scientific advancement. In the hierarchical environment that encapsulates medical curriculum, what was a first-year student’s word worth against decades of research done by the greatest medical minds? Nkinsi quickly had to decide whether to continue to push for reform or protect her status and career.