Coalition to End Racism in Clinical Algorithms (CERCA)

Inaugural Anti-Racism in Medical Education Symposium 2023

Report coming this fall.

In partnership with the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, AAMC and the Fund for Public Health NYC, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer convened medical school leadership and student-led groups on Friday, June 23 at Hostos Community College. The event provided a platform for discussing mechanisms to advance CERCA and address issues of systemic racism in medical education.

The symposium consisted of a series of lectures, panel discussions, poster presentation, and break-out discussion groups centered around the idea of how removing race from clinical algorithm and other erroneous concepts of racial essentialism. Attendees discussed how to best address how medical education and curricula can become more anti-racist.

Presenters included Dr. Salihah Dick, Asthma Program Manager at the Bronx Neighborhood Health and keynote speaker Dr. Malika Fair, Senior Director of Health Equity Partnerships and Programs at the AAMC.

Video Recordings:


The NYC Coalition to End Racism in Clinical Algorithms (CERCA) was formed to end the inclusion of race adjustment in clinical algorithms. Clinicians use clinical algorithms to guide their decision-making in the medical care of patients. Clinical algorithms using race norming, or race adjustment, often negatively impact the treatment and care for people of color.

The nine health system members of CERCA have pledged to end race adjustment in one of three race-based clinical algorithms.

Inaugural Report

The CERCA annual report captures the theoretical frameworks and background research related to race modifiers in clinical algorithms, analytic approaches for prospective assessment and redress of race-adjusted algorithms, early feedback on barriers and facilitators from our health systems stakeholders, and future directions for ending racism in clinical algorithms in New York City and beyond.

Read the Inaugural CERCA Report (PDF).

CERCA Members

  • Maimonides Medical Center
  • Montefiore Medical Center
  • Mt. Sinai Health System
  • SBH Health System
  • NewYork-Presbytarian
  • Northwell Health
  • NYC Health + Hospitals
  • One Brooklyn Health
  • SUNY Downstate

Advisory Council Members

  • Ayrenne Adams, MD MPH
  • Salman Ahmed, MD, MPH
  • Leo Eisenstein, MD
  • Arielle Elmaleh-Sachs, MD
  • Nwamaka D. Eneanya, MD, MPH
  • Sophia Kostelanetz, MD, MPH
  • Duncan Maru, MD, PhD
  • Marie Plaisime, PhD, MPH
  • Jennifer Tsai, MD, M.Ed

Meeting Materials

Additional CERCA Resources

Additional Resources

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate

Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

Pulmonary Function Tests

Additional AAMC Anti-Racism Resources