Ben Zeisloft, Campus Reform

• Editor-in-chief of ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’ resigns after a tweet on racism in health care.
• The journal’s deputy editor resigned in March for similar comments.

Less than three months after Howard Bauchner, editor-in-chief of Journal of the American Medical Association, accepted a subordinate’s resignation for questioning whether racism is embedded in American society, he is stepping down after publicly doubting the notion of “structural racism.”

In a June 1 statement, the American Medical Association announced that Bauchner would step down by the end of the month.

Bauchner declared that he took “responsibility” for the comments after a tweet promoting the podcast episode stated that “no physician is racist.”

Thread on @JAMA_current: (JAMA has complete editorial independence from AMA so this would not come to me or my team for review) The podcast/tweet are/were wrong, absolutely appalling & at its very core is a demonstration of structural & institutional racism. I am furious. 1/ pic.twitter.com/o82H8dgR5v

— Dr. Aletha Maybank (@DrAlethaMaybank) March 4, 2021

Statement from Howard Bauchner, MD, Editor in Chief JAMA and The JAMA Network pic.twitter.com/A1AJNnMWB4

— JAMA (@JAMA_current) March 4, 2021

Campus Reform earlier reported that Deputy Editor Edward Livingston resigned in March after making the controversial claims on the publication’s podcast. At the time, Livingston directed his resignation to Bauchner.

This month’s statement included an apology from Bauchner: “I remain profoundly disappointed in myself for the lapses that led to the publishing of the tweet and podcast. Although I did not write or even see the tweet, or create the podcast, as editor-in-chief, I am ultimately responsible for them.”

“I share and have always supported the AMA’s commitment to dismantling structural racism in the institutions of American medicine,” Bauchner continued, “as evident by numerous publications in JAMA on this issue and related subjects, and look forward to personally contributing to that work going forward.”

Bauchner had served as editor-in-chief of JAMA since 2011.

Campus Reform asked the American Medical Association whether the group told Bauchner to draft the second apology message. Spokesman Robert Mills acknowledged receipt of the question and refused to comment.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft

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