Health Equity

Despite having higher rates of cancer screenings, Black women continue to have a higher cancer mortality rate. Black people are more likely to die from most cancers. Black people also live the shortest amount of time following a cancer diagnosis than any other racial or ethnic group. Additionally, more Black women die from breast cancer...

The emotional effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) on the lives of Black women are even less explored than the physical effects. However, a recent study provides some insight into the experiences of Black women with MS. Mental health can affect physical health. There is increasing awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) trials involving Black people are...

Black Americans and Hispanic Americans with multiple sclerosis suffer higher overall disability and higher symptom severity. Black Americans and Hispanic Americans are underrepresented in research studies for many diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). Since there is no cure for MS, symptom management is essential for maintaining a complete life while living with the disease. A...

Minorities have been historically underrepresented in healthcare research studies. Addressing this issue includes addressing minority concerns about their participation. Minorities, especially Black Americans, have had a complicated relationship with health research studies. The Tuskegee Airmen experiment enrolled African American men under false pretenses in a study about the effects of untreated syphilis and caused significant...

In response to a need for standardizing measurement and tracking of health equity outcomes in childhood asthma, researchers created a health equity index that re-envisions how equity-related data and metrics are collected. A recent grant-funded pilot project at Rady Children’s Health Network (RCHN) in Rancho Santa Fe, California, developed a dashboard that can help reduce...

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) often face inadequate care, which can lead to unnecessary hospital visits and preventable complications. Barriers to care for patients with SCD span individual, interpersonal, provider, and socio-environmental levels. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe, inherited disorder that disproportionately affects African Americans in the United States. Despite available treatments,...

Multiple Myeloma Status Quo Over 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with multiple myeloma each year. And more than 12,500 Americans pass away due to multiple myeloma annually. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. With multiple myeloma, the bone marrow consists of excess plasma cells associated with monoclonal protein in the blood and/or urine. Clinical...

In this MD Newsline exclusive interview with health education and wellness physician Dr. Ilan Shapiro, we discuss how the White House’s Latino Policy Group has delivered on improving health outcomes for the Latino community. We also discuss why binational public health is so important. MD Newsline: As a former member of the White House’s Latino...

In this MD Newsline exclusive interview with health education and wellness physician Dr. Ilan Shapiro, we discuss the barriers and health consequences that the U.S. Latino community faces from disparate access to healthcare services. MD Newsline: Can you speak to the barriers that the Latino community faces in accessing healthcare services? Dr. Ilan Shapiro: “The...