In the Interest of Public Health: A Strategic Approach to Defining the FDA’s Role in Eliminating Health Disparities

Abstract

In October of 1985, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS’) Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health released a report documenting inequities in the health status of African Americans and other minority groups. Since the report’s release, numerous federal agencies have implemented programming to address the issue, and Congress has passed legislation in efforts to eliminate the inequities. The Food and Drug Administration, however, has remained largely silent on the issue. This paper identifies and defines racial and ethnic disparities in health status, discusses the history of government responses to health disparities, and applies the new Office of Minority Health Strategic Framework as a guide for defining the role the FDA can and should play in the effort to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities.