A recent panel at the 17th annual American Association for Cancer Research Conference in Los Angeles has shed light on the alarming connection between the climate crisis and cancer disparities in the Southwest United States. Experts emphasized the disproportionate impact of extreme heat and environmental injustice on historically marginalized communities. Dr. Christine Ekenga, an assistant professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health, highlighted the dual nature of climate change, calling it both “the greatest global public health threat in the 21st century” and potentially “the greatest global health opportunity.” She stressed that addressing climate impacts could enhance health equity…
Author: Disparity Matters
A new report from the University of California, Irvine reveals alarming health disparities hidden by aggregated data within Pacific Islander and Asian American communities in California. The study, titled “Invisibility Is Killing Us,” highlights the urgent need for disaggregated data to accurately represent the diverse health experiences of these populations. Researchers surveyed nearly 40 health departments across California, uncovering a lack of standardized practices for collecting race and ethnicity data. Only six departments reported creating their own standards, while 11 followed federal guidelines. Shockingly, Solano County stood alone in disaggregating Pacific Islander and Asian American data by subgroups. This data aggregation has…
A Marine veteran from Olympia, Washington, is taking legal action against Swedish Medical Center, a prominent healthcare provider in the Seattle area, and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) over a racially biased medical equation that delayed his kidney transplant by two years. Arthur Maddox, who has lived with kidney disease for eight years, alleges that the use of a faulty assumption about Black patients’ kidney health led to unnecessary suffering and financial hardship.The controversial equation, which erroneously stereotyped Black people as having “more muscular” bodies and therefore healthier kidneys, resulted in delayed care and transplants for countless Black…
Wallace Torres developed a virtual care platform to reduce autoimmune-care inequities among Hispanic and Latino patients
Providing basic health care services and health education to the underserved Latino community in Sacramento
A year-long investigation by STAT journalists Katie Palmer and Usha Lee McFarling has shed light on the widespread use of race in clinical algorithms across various medical specialties. Their series, “Embedded Bias,” reveals how these tools, intended to improve patient care, may inadvertently perpetuate health disparities.The project, which involved over 100 interviews with researchers, clinicians, health system executives, and federal officials, uncovered nearly 50 tools that incorporate race in current clinical care. These algorithms span multiple areas of medicine, from risk calculators for vaginal births after cesarean sections to kidney function estimates.Palmer’s journey began with a chance discovery of a…
Focusing on building trust within the Latino community to increase vaccination rates and address health needs
Working with community organizations to expand health care workforce to reflect the communities and patients they serve
Focusing on building trust within the Latino community to increase vaccination rates and address health needs
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open has shed light on an important yet often overlooked aspect of health disparities in the United States. The research reveals significant differences in heart failure rates among various Asian American subpopulations, challenging the notion that Asian Americans can be treated as a monolithic group in healthcare. The study, led by researchers at George Washington University, utilized data from the Cerner Real-World Database to analyze heart failure incidence and prevalence among different Asian American ethnic subgroups. Dr. Adrienne Ngar-Yee Poon, one of the study authors, emphasized the importance of this research, stating, “Cardiovascular disease…