Mississippi is grappling with a significant shortage of Black doctors, with only 1 in 10 physicians identifying as Black in a state where nearly 40% of the population is African American. This disparity persists despite efforts by medical schools to recruit more diverse students, as Republican opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs threatens to exacerbate existing health disparities. At the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, only 12% of enrolled students are Black. Research has shown that patients of color prefer doctors of their own race, and some studies indicate better health outcomes for Black patients seeing Black…
Author: Disparity Matters
Providing tuition, housing, training to prepare physicians to improve health outcomes in Milwaukee’s marginalized communities
A recent report highlights that Asian Americans are significantly less likely to seek mental health treatment compared to other racial groups in the United States. The study, published by the National Latino and Asian American Study, found that only 8.6% of Asian Americans sought mental health services over the past year, compared to 18% of the general U.S. population. This disparity is attributed to cultural stigma, language barriers, and a lack of culturally competent care. The report indicates that stigma around mental health is deeply ingrained in many Asian cultures, where mental health challenges are often viewed as personal weaknesses. This…
A new study published in JAMA Oncology reveals that transvaginal ultrasounds, a common screening method for endometrial cancer, may be unreliable for Black women. The research, led by Dr. Kemi M. Doll from the University of Washington School of Medicine, found that this widely used technique could miss a significant number of cancer cases in Black patients. The retrospective study analyzed 1,494 ultrasound scans of Black patients who underwent hysterectomies between 2014 and 2020. Results showed that using the standard 5 mm endometrial thickness threshold, there was an 11.4% chance of failing to identify endometrial cancer. Even at lower thresholds, the…
A new study suggests that using a risk-based model for lung cancer screening could help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in screening eligibility and improve overall screening efficiency across diverse populations in the United States.Researchers led by Summer S. Han, PhD, examined data from over 100,000 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study to evaluate the performance of risk-based lung cancer screening compared to current guidelines.The study, published in JAMA Oncology, found that the PLCOm2012 risk prediction model showed promising predictive performance across racial and ethnic groups, though it underestimated risk for some populations.When researchers recalibrated the model (PLCOm2012-Update), it improved…
Black women have substantially higher rates of early death from gynecologic cancers compared to women of other races and ethnicities, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers analyzed data from over 460,000 women diagnosed with gynecologic cancers between 2000-2020. They found Black women had the highest early death rates – defined as death within two months of diagnosis – for tubo-ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers. The racial disparities were most pronounced for tubo-ovarian cancer, with a 14.5% early death rate among Black women compared to just 6.4% for Asian women.…
Community engagement and access to resources are crucial for addressing racial disparities in cancer care, according to experts interviewed by SurvivorNet. Researchers emphasize that many minority patients are unaware of available services, leading to underrepresentation in cancer research studies and unequal access to screening and treatment. Dr. Karriem Watson (above), a cancer disparities researcher with the National Institutes of Health, stresses the importance of providing resources to underserved communities. He notes that patients cannot participate in clinical trials if they are uninformed or unable to reach medical centers conducting the studies. Financial burdens also play a significant role in these…
A new study has found significant racial and ethnic disparities in the adoption of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) services by U.S. hospitals between 2000 and 2020. Researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Naval Postgraduate School examined how hospitals across different communities implemented this life-saving heart procedure. The study revealed that hospitals serving Black, racially segregated communities were 48 percent less likely to adopt PCI services compared to those in non-Black, racially segregated areas. Similarly, hospitals in Hispanic, ethnically segregated communities were 41 percent less likely to offer PCI services than those in non-Hispanic, ethnically segregated communities. PCI is a…
Black Americans face the highest death rates from air pollution compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. Researchers found that over half the difference in overall death rates between Black and white Americans was attributable to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) from 2000 to 2011. This disparity decreased only slightly by 2015. “Our findings underscore the need for targeted air quality interventions to address environmental health disparities,” the study authors wrote. The team analyzed national data on air pollution levels, population demographics, and mortality rates from 1990 to…
Walgreens’ plan to close a “significant portion” of its 8,600 stores could exacerbate pharmacy shortages in underprivileged communities, potentially worsening health disparities for poor patients and communities of color. The retail giant’s retrenchment from primary care, including scaling back its stake in VillageMD and closing clinics nationwide, has sparked concerns about access to healthcare in low-income neighborhoods. During a recent earnings call, Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth acknowledged the company is often “the last one standing” in many areas. The closures, which follow previous rounds of store shutdowns, have prompted protests and inquiries from Massachusetts lawmakers concerned about the impact on vulnerable…