October 2026
The Box Problem: Why Health Philanthropy Keeps Missing 34 Million Americans
A few years ago, I sat down to fill out a routine intake form at a doctor’s office. I got to the race and ethnicity question and did what I have done since I was a child: I paused. Not because I didn’t know who I am, but because the form didn’t know what to do with who I am. Black or White. Asian or Hispanic. Choose one. I am Indian and White, and I have spent my whole life being asked to leave part of myself in the waiting room.