A recent study published in JAMA Surgery has ignited controversy by linking structural racism to mass shooting events. Researchers at Tulane University analyzed data from nearly 900 mass shootings across 52 major U.S. cities between 2015 and 2019, defining these events as incidents involving four or more victims, excluding the perpetrator.

The study, titled "Association Between Markers of Structural Racism and Mass Shooting Events in Major US Cities," suggests that cities with larger Black populations experience a higher incidence of mass shootings, implying a potential link to structural racism. The authors recommend public health initiatives targeting factors associated with structural racism as a means to address gun violence.

The study defines structural racism as a system of policies, practices, and attitudes that consistently produce negative outcomes for people of color. It utilized metrics such as Black-White segregation indices, the percentage of Black residents, and crime rates. While the research concludes that mass shootings disproportionately impact Black communities in metropolitan areas, it refrains from a detailed analysis of perpetrators, except for a brief mention of a study by Jewett et al., which examined mass public shootings (defined as incidents with at least four fatalities) and found that 49% were perpetrated by White individuals compared to 19% by Black individuals. The study acknowledges the difficulty in interpreting this data due to unresolved cases and unidentified perpetrators.

In an editorial response, Drs. Kimberly B. Golish and Leah C. Tatebe from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine suggest that these findings could inform surgeons' understanding of the impact of racism on gun violence treatment. They emphasize the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and resource provision to support victims of gun violence.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has faced criticism for its increasingly political stance, including a 2021 guide on advancing health equity that addressed criticisms of critical race theory. More recently, the AMA's critique of the body mass index (BMI) as a potentially racist and flawed metric has drawn further criticism.