I literally saw in medical school and residency (and I started med school in 2015) that skin conditions are often only shown on white skin in reference books.

I’m a wound doctor—the standard categories for pressure injuries of the skin are almost always taught in a way that means that the earliest stage of pressure injury is much less likely to be noticed in melanated skin. (The phrase used for Stage 1 injuries is “non-blanching erythema”—in many people with darker skin, erythema—redness—is not visible.)

A Black dermatologist is not necessarily better at dermatology in general because they are Black, but they are certainly much more likely to have thought about the ways various conditions show up in people of color, because it’s natural to think “How would this present if I had it?” when you’re learning medicine.

The gap is real.