Health Disparities News and Research

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Health disparities (also called healthcare inequality in some countries) refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and socioeconomic groups.

Weekly electronic symptom check-ins improve advanced cancer care

New results from an Alliance Foundation Trials (AFT) study reveal that a simple weekly electronic symptom check-in with care team, significantly improves the quality of life for individuals undergoing treatment for advanced cancer.

13 Jul 2026

Socioeconomic status brings unequal metabolic disease reductions across racial, ethnic groups

Higher socioeconomic status is not associated with equal reductions in rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity across all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, according to a new study published July 8, 2026, in the open access journal PLOS One by Sara Cromer of Harvard Medical School, USA, and colleagues.

8 Jul 2026

Criminal legal involvement history linked to higher emergency department visits

People with a history of criminal legal involvement have higher odds of visiting an emergency department (ED), particularly for substance use and mental health reasons, according to a new study published July 8, 2026 in the open access journal PLOS One by Vidya Eswaran of Washington University in St. Louis, US, and colleagues.

8 Jul 2026

Women in high-deprivation areas face barriers to digital breast tomosynthesis screening

New research has found that digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) availability at breast imaging facilities is similar across low- and high-deprivation areas, but facilities in low-deprivation areas are significantly more likely to offer weekend appointments, which may impact access for traditionally underserved populations.

2 Jul 2026

Keck School of Medicine of USC and Novartis collaborate to eliminate breast cancer screening barriers

Compelled by disparities in breast cancer outcomes, the Keck School of Medicine of USC's Department of Population and Public Health Sciences and Novartis have joined forces in a pioneering collaboration to support medically underserved communities in Los Angeles County with the goal of eliminating barriers to screening and access.

23 Jun 2026

Fertility preservation access remains unequal for young female cancer patients

A new Columbia University School of Nursing systematic review reveals access to fertility preservation (FP) care remains limited and unequal for girls and young women with cancer.

23 Jun 2026

USC study reveals nuanced Alzheimer's genetic risk in Hispanic populations

Researchers at the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC analyzed brain imaging and clinical data from more than 17,000 participants across five major aging and Alzheimer's disease studies.

17 Jun 2026

New poll reveals how politics reshaped trust in U.S. public health

A Harvard Chan/de Beaumont national poll of 2,205 U.S. adults found CDC trust dropped to 50% one year into new federal public health leadership, while state and local health agencies remained more trusted.

14 Jun 2026

Healthcare and insurance access influence folic acid use among women

Access to healthcare and insurance coverage strongly influence whether women take recommended amounts of folic acid to help prevent serious birth defects, according to University of California, Irvine researchers using the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program data.

8 Jun 2026

Home sewage overflows expose residents to dangerous drug-resistant bacteria

A new study shows that sewage overflows in homes can expose people to bacteria that can make them sick, including antibiotic-resistant and multidrug resistant bacteria which can make infections difficult to treat.

5 Jun 2026

ELRIG unveils keynote speakers for Drug Discovery 2026

ELRIG, a not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization dedicated to the global drug discovery community, today announced the keynote speaker program for Drug Discovery 2026.

From ELRIG (UK) Ltd. 3 Jun 2026

Pediatric experts reveal the 10 research areas set to shape child health

Pediatric research leaders identified 10 high-promise areas likely to shape child health over the next 5 to 10 years, including genomics, mental health, vaccines, artificial intelligence, perinatal medicine, precision therapeutics, health equity, nutrition, environmental health, and cancer treatment. The paper argues that these opportunities will only translate into better outcomes if pediatric research receives sustained funding, public trust, workforce support, advocacy, and equitable implementation.

1 Jun 2026

Rare dual transplant gives Michigan patient a second chance

After nearly two decades of life-threatening illness, repeated complications, and organ failure, 33-year-old Briana Dery of Twining, Mich., is looking ahead to a healthy future, after successfully undergoing one of the rarest and most complex procedures in modern medicine.

26 May 2026

New guidelines urge earlier cholesterol treatment to prevent heart disease

Doctors should consider treating high cholesterol much earlier and more aggressively than they have in the past, according to a new perspective by Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian and Yale School of Medicine investigators.

19 May 2026

Pennington and Vanderbilt launch major study on childhood obesity treatment

Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, has launched a research study, the COACH trial, to test different ways to help children and their families improve their health through lifestyle changes delivered by primary care clinics in communities in Louisiana and Tennessee.

19 May 2026

Teen smoking risks vary between disadvantaged rural and urban communities

Teens in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to smoke, but it depends on whether they live in rural or urban areas.

13 May 2026

Telemedicine has not significantly boosted healthcare costs, study finds

New UCLA-led research finds that use of telemedicine has not significantly increased visits and medical spending across all payer types.

11 May 2026

Medicaid expansion associated with lower death rates in young adults with kidney failure

Among young adults with kidney failure, the expansion of Medicaid following the Affordable Care Act signed into law in 2010 was associated with substantial declines in one-year death rates, researchers from Brown University found in a new study.

11 May 2026

NIH funding terminations disproportionately affect marginalized health equity researchers

Researchers from University of California San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science have found that recent federal grant terminations targeting research on health equity and gender identity have disproportionately affected scientists from the very communities those studies aim to support.

8 May 2026