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Article
How ancestral trauma informs patients' health decision making
AMA Journal of Ethics
  • Tina K. Sacks, University of California, Berkeley
  • Katie Savin, University of California, Berkeley
  • Quenette L. Walton, University of Houston
ORCiD
Katie Savin: 0000-0001-8155-0749
Department
Social Work
Abstract

This article considers intergenerational trauma by drawing on the experience of a 37-year-old Black woman whose great-grandfather died as a result of involuntary involvement in the US Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee. Although she never met her great-grandfather, the abuse, exploitation, and human rights violations he suffered at the hands of the US government profoundly influenced her health experiences. This article contextualizes her experiences in light of past medical abuse and microethics.

Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-1-2021
DOI
10.1001/AMAJETHICS.2021.183
Citation Information
Tina K. Sacks, Katie Savin and Quenette L. Walton. "How ancestral trauma informs patients' health decision making" AMA Journal of Ethics Vol. 23 Iss. 2 (2021) p. E183 - E188 ISSN: 2376-6980
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/katharine-savin/20/