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2026 Poster Session B
B50 - The Black and White of Medicine: A History of Race Based Corrections in Pulmonology
Race based corrections (RBCs) have been used in spirometry tests almost since the test’s creation.
2026 Poster Session B
B50 - The Black and White of Medicine: A History of Race Based Corrections in Pulmonology
Mentor: Cameron Hay-Rollins, Ph.D.
Race based corrections (RBCs) have been used in spirometry tests almost since the test’s creation. One of the first large-scale studies done with spirometry was comparing the lung function of free White and enslaved Black Americans to determine a racial difference[2]. We now understand race to be a social construct that has little bearing on genetics[3]. If that is the case, then do we still use race as a corrective factor in spirometry today?