Integrating Racial/Ethnic Equity Into Policy Assessments To Improve Child Health
Introduction This article introduces a framework called the Policy Equity Assessment that was designed for policy analysts and researchers to assess a policy’s or program’s ability to reduce inequities. This framework couples policy analysis approaches with rigorous equity-focused research methods. This combination allows for a more comprehensive equity analysis compared to other research methods. This…
Read More3 Principles for an Antiracist, Equitable State Response to COVID-19 — and a Stronger Recovery
Introduction From hospitalizations to mortality rates, Black, Latine, and Indigenous populations were disproportionately affected by Covid-19. These disparities reflect several other systemic inequities, such as the racial wealth gap, inadequate access to healthcare, and racial discrimination in the labor market. These inequities are rooted in historical practices and policies that excluded racially minoritized populations, especially…
Read MoreOrganizational Change Management for Health Equity: Perspectives from the Disparities Leadership Program
Introduction This study seeks to understand the best ways to address racial and ethnic disparities within healthcare institutions, with a particular focus on organization management. The study draws upon learnings from the Disparities Solution Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and specifically references data produced from the Disparities Leadership Program (DLP) that began in 2007. The…
Read MoreAssociation Between Racial Wealth Inequities and Racial Disparities in Longevity Among US Adults and Role of Reparations Payments, 1992 to 2018
Introduction This cohort study aims to identify, address and quantify the relationship between longevity ( “all cause mortality”) and wealth as it relates to Black individuals versus white individuals. Furthermore, the study then models how reparations payments to the black community could potentially affect the longevity ( “all cause mortality”) gap between Blacks and whites.…
Read MoreThe ecological and evolutionary consequences of systemic racism in urban environments
Introduction Cities are important ecosystems shaped by dynamic and interdependent biological, physical and social influences. However, Schell et al. note that few studies link research on urban ecological and evolutionary studies to that of social inequality. They argue it is integral to integrate these disciplines as human-created systems of power create uneven impacts on non-human…
Read MorePersuasion in Medicine: Messaging to Increase Vaccine Demand
Introduction Despite the demonstrated benefits of preventive medicine, only 45% of American adults typically get a flu shot during flu season. Vaccine hesitancy is particularly common among Black and white lower socioeconomic status men, who don’t trust doctors and are skeptical of the benefits relative to the perceived risk. For Black Americans, this mistrust is…
Read MoreImplicit Organizational Bias: Mental Health Treatment Culture and Norms as Barriers to Engaging with Diversity
Introduction BIPOC communities face many structural barriers to accessing mental health care. To reduce this health disparity and better serve multicultural populations, many providers are turning to person-centered care. Person-centered care is intended to improve quality of care by centering the patient’s values, preferences, and goals in collaboratively designed care plans. Although this approach has…
Read MoreStructural competency: Theorizing a new medical engagement with stigma and inequality
Introduction Medical professionals recognize that physicians must learn both the science of medicine and the art of patient communication. Currently, much of the medical field is focused on the concept of “cultural competency” and “cultural humility.” These concepts have pushed medical education to move beyond “colorblindness” and recognize that social factors, such as race, ethnicity,…
Read MoreDissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations
Introduction Obermeyer et al. note both the growing attention to potential racial and gender biases within algorithms and the difficulty of obtaining access to real world algorithms – including the raw data used to design and train them – in order to understand how and why bias could appear in them. This study is important…
Read MoreHealth Disparities due to Diminished Return among Black Americans: Public Policy Solutions
Introduction There is a large, consistent, and persistent gap in many different indicators of health status, across the lifespan, between Black and white populations. The author attempts to break this problem down to its root cause: first, the author notes that while it may be possible that there could be biological or genetic differences between…
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