Med student at Temple U working to make X-rays more inclusive of Black hairstyles.

Temple University is taking a stand to make the medical field more inclusive. Angela Udongwo, a medical student at the institution, is researching the X-ray imaging of Black hairstyles. Last summer, she joined Hillel Maresky’s lab to launch a hair research project. Both of them realized that there was a major gap in the research of natural hairstyles such as locs, braids, and twists and how they are identified in radiological imaging.

The lack of research puts Black patients in a difficult position, as doctors’ ignorance of the hair patterns in X-rays can cause misdiagnosis. With their research, Maresky and Udongwo hope to create a baseline for doctors to differentiate between an artifact and Black hair textures. There was virtually no other study conducted on this particular issue prior to their research.

The first step for Udongwo was to introduce the language of various types of Black hairdos, as doctors of all backgrounds should be informed of the styles to serve a diverse patient population better. With the field of radiology primarily being filled with white men, as reported by the American Medical Association in a 2021 survey, doctors must increase their knowledge to prevent Black patients from having to undergo additional tests due to unawareness.

Udongwo has been met with an openness to learn about challenging doctors’ ability to identify hair textures from signs of illness in body scans. She shared that she is “surrounded by people who really like to learn and want to become better physicians” and is excited to see where this goes.

Despite receiving smaller endowments, she hopes to make progress with her new mission. Maresky stated “we may not be the most well-endowed hospital in terms of donations and grants, but we do have something that, I think, is even more powerful: A diverse patient population.” Let’s be the agents of change and lead the way in identification of Black Hair versus pathology.

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