Will the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter change science and society?

The review deliberately avoided the potentially controversial topic of genetic factors, partly due to a lack of information and expertise in the field of medical genetics as it applies to race.The overwhelming message was that the cumulative effects of structural racism on BAME groups was the major contributing factor.The central theme running through the seven recommendations of the review is the need to address structural problems associated with race and ethnicity in healthcare outcomes and that there is a need for greater numbers of BAME scientists and medical and public health professionals in positions of influence and power, who could both identify problems through research and communicate solutions in ways that are lacking presently.But making the recommendations of the BAME COVID-19 review become a reality will be a major challenge.There have been previous reviews and recommendations to tackle structural racism, such as The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. To deliver on the BAME COVID-19 review, the change must be seen at all levels, from students at universities to managers and professors at our most prestigious institutions.Presently, not enough Black undergraduate students are given the chance to work on the kinds of projects that lead to higher degree classification and are the gateways to a professional or research career. Compared with the banking crisis, the consequences of long-term structural racism are likely having a greater impact on society and could be solved for a fraction of the sums, but only if we really believe that Black lives matter.The COVID-19 pandemic may be particularly difficult for people with ADHD.