Health Disparities

Equal access to resources, care, and information is a substantial problem for at-risk groups such as older adults, ethnic minorities, or those with low incomes even in the best of times. In this pandemic, where it’s critical to “flatten the curve” among all groups, these barriers cannot be ignored. Dr. Lisa Cooper, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, talks to Dr. Josh Sharfstein about what needs to be done to address these significant, persistent challenges.

Published April 1, 2020

It’s an unfortunate reality that cultural trauma has impacted practically every aspect of American Indians’ lives—including their access to quality healthcare. Diving into this issue affecting millions of Americans are Mark Masselli, Margaret Flinter, and their guest Dr. Donald Warne, who discusses this impact and the key strategies that aim to resolve these disparities, such as mentoring Native youth in health professions.

Did you know that African Americans are three times as likely to be diagnosed with lupus than other demographic groups? To make matters worse, being diagnosed with lupus doubles their risk of kidney disease, stroke, and heart attacks.

To address this growing health threat among African Americans, Dr. Jennifer Caudle is joined by Dr. Ashira Blazer, Instructor in the Department of Medicine and Rheumatologist at NYU Langone Health, to discuss diagnosis, comorbidities, and various treatment options for your lupus patients.

Correction Note: Dr. Blazer has updated that in the U.S., variation homozygosity for APOL1 is present in 13% of the African American population.

It's widely known that genetics, family history, race, and other factors all play important roles in cancer risk. But what kinds of roles do they play, specifically, and how can we leverage these understandings into better primary care?

Dr. Brian McDonough is joined by Dr. Maureen Murphy, research scientist at the Wistar Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Murphy has spent the past twenty years studying how genes affect breast cancer risk in women, particularly for African American populations. She discusses her findings on the discovery of p53 protein variants and how this advances the role for precision medicine in treating breast cancer.

How do black doctors grapple with race, bias, and the unique health problems for black Americans?

Host Dr. Maurice Pickard chats with Dr. Damon Tweedy, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Duke University Medical Center and author of the book Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflection on Race and Medicine, which examines the complex ways in which black doctors and patients must both navigate the difficult and often contradictory terrain of race and medicine.

Rheumatic diseases don't discriminate across race or gender; however, significant health disparities continue to exist for patients suffering from these diseases.

Dr. Renée Simone Yolanda Allen speaks with Dr. Xena Whittier, practicing rheumatologist with WellStar Rheumatology Associates in Marietta, GA, about closing the gap in health disparities for rheumatology patients across genders, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses.

From the floors of the Villanovans in Healthcare event at Villanova University, Dr. Matt Birnholz speaks with Jermaine Bromell, Founder and CEO of Better Health Network, a startup dedicated to providing health support services for underserved communities in partnership with faith-based organizations. The two discuss ways for companies and non-profits to better address health disparities in larger communities through direct support and targeted referral services.

Dr. Carol Burke, Director of the Center for Colon Polyp and Cancer Prevention at the Cleveland Clinic, unveils ongoing but underrecognized gender disparities in the practice of gastroenterology, such as differences in academic vs private practice opportunities, average salaries and hours worked, rates of promotion and partnerships, and male-modeled endoscopic equipment designs. Dr. Burke then explores gender disparities in GI care for patients with colorectal cancer, including differences in efficacy of colorectal cancer screening, male vs female morbidity and mortality rates, and even the underlying biologies of cancers themselves.

Host Dr. Alan Brown is joined by Dr. Keith C. Ferdinand, Professor at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Ferdinand reviews the etiologies, diagnostic challenges, and management considerations for selective cardiac health issues prevalent in African American populations, from hypertension to coronary arterial calcium plaques to lipid levels.

Supported by an Educational Grant from AstraZeneca.

Host Dr. Maurice Pickard welcomes Dr. Funmi Olopade, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics, Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, and Director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at the University of Chicago. Dr. Olopade discusses disparities in health outcomes for black women with breast cancer. Dr. Olopade is an expert in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, having developed novel management strategies based on an understanding of the altered genes in individual patients. She stresses comprehensive risk reduction and prevention strategies in high-risk populations, as well as earlier detection through advanced imaging technologies.

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Gary Puckrein, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Minority Quality Forum, a not-for-profit organization that he founded in 1998. The Forum addresses the critical need for strengthening national and local efforts to use evidence-based, data-driven initiatives to help eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness for racial and ethnic minorities and other special populations.

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Dr. Chileshe Nkonde-Price, cardiologist and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/US Department of Veteran's Affairs Clinical Scholar. Dr. Nkonde-Price is creator of Change Your Step, a digital project to engage African American women to improve their cardiovascular health. She recently participated in a TEDMED Great Challenges webinar on addressing health disparities.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter from CHC's Conversations on Health Care program speak with Dr. H. Jack Geiger, co-founder of Physicians for Human Rights and Physicians for Social Responsibility, both of which earned the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Geiger is considered the founder of the Community Health Center movement in this country and discusses his decades of activism for equality in health care.

Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter from CHC's Conversations on Health Care program speak with Dr. Harold P. Freeman, Founder and CEO of the Patient Navigator Institute. Dr. Freeman discusses his pioneering work in the patient navigation movement, which seeks to reduce health disparities by using specially trained patient navigators to assist the underserved population in removing barriers to care.

Host Dr Farhad Zangeneh welcomes James R. Gavin III, MD, PhD, clinical professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Together they will explore the trends in the growth of diabetes in African Americans, the policies needed to address these problems, and some of the barriers that prevent better outcomes in diabetes care for African Americans and other high-risk minorities.

James R. Gavin III, MD AND PHD, clinical professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Gavin serves as CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Healing Our Village, Inc. He also belongs to a number of organizations, including the Institute of Medicine, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Association of Physicians, and the Atlanta Rotary Club.

Though metabolic syndrome has not been found to be higher in the African American population compared to other populations, African Americans' rates of illnesses related to metabolic syndrome are higher. What explains this riddle? Host Dr. Alan Brown talks with Dr. Keith Ferdinand, clinical professor in the cardiology division at Emory University, and chief science officer of the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc.

Brought to you by:

Despite dramatic improvement in American health and life expectancy over the past several decades, racial and ethnic minorities have not benefited equally from this progress. Dr. James Webster, professor of medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, and president of the Chicago Board of Health, discusses how improving cultural competence in health care workers can reduce disparities amongst patients. Dr. Maurice Pickard hosts.

Should African American’s be treated with beta blockers to prevent heart failure? This has been a controversial question in the cardiovascular community. In this segment, Dr. Gerald Dorn of Washington University School of Medicine explains the biological mechanisms in which beta blockers offer protection from heart failure and what led him and his team to more closely examine the African American population who as a group does not seem to benefit as much from beta blockers. Learn in this segment about a gene variant identified by Dr. Dorn and his team carried by African American patients which provides protection from heart failure. Is this gene variant found in all African Americans? Are there other populations with this gene variant? Dr. Dorn talks about the implications of this study and where he hopes to go from here with his research.

Michele Goodwin, Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and recent author of "Black Markets: The Supply and Demand of Body Parts," joins host Dr. Maurie Pickard to discuss the transplant waiting list. How we can respond to the growing list of patients waiting for transplants. Can we fairly address the dynamics of a wait list that has one group of people such as African Americans who are more severely impacted by lack of available organs for transplant? Join us for an interesting conversation.

Dr. Peter Bach, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, talks with host Dr. Bill Rutenberg about racial disparities in medicine and treatment today. What are the reasons for this disparity, and how can we work to eliminate the difference? Join us to learn more.