"In a world where the majority of breasts and nipples are some shade of brown, we cannot afford to treat white skin as the default in our practice."
- Nekisha Killings, MPH, IBCLC
Founder of The Melanated Mammary Atlas®
Partners helping us #normalizebrownbreasts
OUR TOOL
We aim to normalize how breast conditions manifest on patients of color. The more you see, the better you can support.
The Atlas
The Melanated Mammary Atlas® is your portal to a world of images displaying mammary related conditions on Asian, Indigenous, Black and Brown folks. We feature the first and only cache of images of this type available for viewing and constantly updated by health professionals and the public.
Who is this for?
- Lactation Specialists
- Midwives and Doulas
- Family Practitioners
- ObGyns
- Dermatologists
- Oncologists
- Aspiring Health professionals
- Any Provider who works with breasts/chests
"Indeed, if we are to truly develop an inclusive curriculum, appropriate representation must be given to all racial groups. The shortfall in representation in medical curricula is an important contributor to racial inequality in health-care experience, treatment, and patient outcomes."
- Khan & Mian, 2020
Contribute an Image to The Melanated Mammary Atlas®
Our image upload tool is available to anyone who has relevant images to share. Images are input using key descriptors that will ensure accurate and robust search results. Each image is also accompanied by a case brief further detailing how the condition was recognized and treated.
Subscribe
$9/mo
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Base rate
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"Pay What You Want" model
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Allows for additional contributions
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Grants access to all features
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Subject to verification
Community-based philanthropy
Our "pay what you want" pricing model allows for members to commit to monthly contributions above the base subscription rate. A portion of additional contributions will go back into communities whose families are most impacted by health inequities.
Breast conditions are not shown on dark skin in most textbooks, and as a result, many health professionals are unaware of how differently some conditions present on more deeply melanated skin.
The Melanated Mammary Atlas® was born out of a need. The sad truth is a dearth of images exists in representation of breast conditions on melanated skin in health education. By and large, the images that aspiring medical professionals see during their training are of fair skinned breasts with pink nipples. Not only is this inconsistent with the pigmentation of most of the people on this planet, it creates a gap in acumen that shows up in the care and assessment of patients of color.
WHY THIS MATTERS