Professor and award-winning journalist Nicole Carr has announced the release of her debut book, The Price of Exclusion: The Pursuit of Healthcare in a Segregated Nation (HarperCollins, June 2026). The book is now available for pre-order here and wherever books are sold.
The Price of Exclusion blends historical narrative, family legacy, and investigative reporting to uncover the overlooked history of Black medical professionals who advanced healthcare in the face of systemic barriers. Carr traces the origins of today’s health disparities to generations of exclusion, exploitation, and structural racism.
At the center of the book is the life of her great-grandfather, Dr. Lawrence St. Clair Ferguson, a Jamaican-born physician who served in World War I and attended medical school during the 1918 pandemic. His story becomes a lens through which the broader experiences of Black physicians are understood. Their perseverance created pathways for future generations despite segregation, institutional erasure, and obstacles designed to limit their practice.
Through extensive research, Carr spotlights pioneers whose contributions shaped American medicine, including those trained at the nation’s first four-year medical school located at a historically Black college. She also examines the consequences of policies such as the Flexner Report, which led to the closure of Black medical schools, and the exclusionary practices of institutions like the American Medical Association. These decisions still influence healthcare access, trust, and workforce diversity today.
At a moment when equity and representation in medicine face renewed scrutiny, The Price of Exclusion offers historical grounding and a compelling call to action. It honors the resilience of Black medical professionals and encourages a re-examination of how healthcare can better value and serve every community.
Carr looks forward to engaging with readers throughout the lead-up to publication and during her 2026 book tour. Pre-order The Price of Exclusion today and take part in an important conversation about history, healing, and the future of healthcare.