STAT: Massive NIH Study Challenges use of Race as a Proxy for Genetic Ancestry in Research
June 2025
STAT Reporting fellow Anil Oza looks at all sides of an NIH study that finds no correlation between self-reported race and genetic ancestry, underlining the inaccuracy of using race as a biological factor in medical research. The study drew its results from analyzing the genetic makeup of over 200,000 participants in the All of Us research cohort, established by the NIH in order to offer a dataset that more accurately reflects the diversity of the U.S. population.
These findings underscore the fact that race is a social idea, fostered in the 17th century to support the concept of societal hierarchy by skin color and physiognomy. It shows that tools and assessments that use race as a biological factor are including a variable that contributes no useful information at best, and at worst can cause patient harm by assuming biological differences that do not exist. The study supports the idea that contrasts that may emerge by race in research are incomplete, and instead reflect deeper factors that can range from genetic inheritance to environmental impacts.
