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.

Second annual conference to reduce genomic health disparities

Researchers in genomic health disparities from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the Stanford University School of Medicine have teamed up to hold the second annual "Why We Can't Wait: Conference to Eliminate Health Disparities in Genomic Medicine."

23 May 2013

GWU launches Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health

Today the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services announced the launch of the Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health, a collaboration between SPHHS, the Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers, the Rivera Group, and other community partners.

22 May 2013

Obesity directly tied to several cancers

"Obesity is a major risk factor for developing cancer, roughly the equivalent of tobacco use, and both are potentially reversible. Further, obese cancer patients do worse in surgery, with radiation or on chemotherapy - worse by any measure." Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., Director of MD Anderson's new Center for Energy Balance in Cancer Prevention and Survivorship and professor of Behavioral Science.

22 May 2013

Vitamin C kills drug-resistant TB bacteria in lab

In a striking, unexpected discovery, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have determined that vitamin C kills drug-resistant tuberculosis bacteria in laboratory culture.

22 May 2013

Roundup: Okla. governor pushes funding fix to cover 9,000 on Medicaid; Texas lawmakers OK new mental health funds

Gov. Mary Fallin proposed a last-minute legislative change Friday to the state's Insure Oklahoma program that would direct $50 million in state tobacco taxes to pay for more than 9,000 people who are expected to lose their health insurance under the program.

21 May 2013

State rejections of Medicaid expansion likely to widen health disparities

The Los Angeles Times reports that states opting against expanded eligibility -- among them, some of the nation's unhealthiest -- could fall even further behind as the Affordable Care Act is implemented. News outlets also offer reports from Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, California, Florida and Virginia.

21 May 2013

UC Davis scientists detect novel molecular target for multiple sclerosis

Working with lab mice models of multiple sclerosis, UC Davis scientists have detected a novel molecular target for the design of drugs that could be safer and more effective than current FDA-approved medications against MS.

17 May 2013

Robotic transplantation may reduce health disparities for obese patients with chronic kidney failure

Obese patients who received robotic kidney transplants had fewer wound complications than patients who received traditional "open" transplant surgery, according to surgeons at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System.

17 May 2013

People diagnosed with cancer are more likely to declare bankruptcy

People diagnosed with cancer are more than two-and-a-half times more likely to declare bankruptcy than those without cancer, according to a new study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Researchers also found that younger cancer patients had two- to five-fold higher bankruptcy rates compared to older patients, and that overall bankruptcy filings increased as time passed following diagnosis.

17 May 2013

Low income African-American adults living closer to fast food restaurants have higher BMI

African-American adults living closer to a fast food restaurant had a higher body mass index than those who lived further away from fast food, according to researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and this association was particularly strong among those with a lower income.

17 May 2013

College of Nursing wins grant to implement community health and wellness program

The Ohio State University College of Nursing and Making a Difference, Inc. have teamed up to win a $60,000 dollar grant from The Ohio State University Office of Outreach and Engagement to address health disparities by implementing a comprehensive community health and wellness program in a Near East Side neighborhood of Columbus, OH.

16 May 2013

GWU to hold forum to discuss public health issues that affect Latino immigrant communities

The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services will hold a forum on May 22 to discuss public health issues that disproportionately affect Latino immigrant communities.

16 May 2013

Symposium examines racial and ethnic health disparities on cancer care

Third-year residents in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital have organized a symposium examining racial and ethnic health disparities, with a focus on cancer care. The program will feature a keynote speech from Otis Brawley, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society.

16 May 2013

Microclinic International to promote healthier living in the Cumberland Valley Region

Microclinic International was awarded a major CDC grant to promote healthier living and combat chronic disease in the Cumberland Valley Region in Appalachian Kentucky.

15 May 2013

WVU ICRH director named 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year

Larry Rhodes, M.D., interim chair of the West Virginia University Department of Pediatrics and director of the WVU Institute for Community and Rural Health, has been named the 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year by the National Rural Health Association.

13 May 2013

SLU SNMA students receive Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award

A group of 40 students are part of Saint Louis University's Student National Medical Association chapter (SNMA), who are striving to reduce health disparities locally. This year, they received the Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award, a recognition given to a university for serving as an outstanding example of leadership and innovation in promoting and maintaining institutional diversity.

10 May 2013

Schools play a critical role in early identification of adolescents with mental disorders

A study published in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that mental health resources provided by schools are significantly associated with whether adolescents with mental disorders receive needed mental health services.

7 May 2013

Study: Combination of chemotherapy and nerve-protecting agents can prevent anemia

Cancer chemotherapy can cause peripheral neuropathy-nerve damage often resulting in pain and muscle weakness in the arms and legs. Now, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered that chemo also induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation.

6 May 2013

Researchers awarded grant to reduce higher rates of stroke among underserved populations

UCLA researchers and their partners across Los Angeles County have been awarded an $11 million grant to fund research on community-based interventions to reduce the higher rates of stroke and death from stroke among disadvantaged Hispanics, African Americans and Asian-Americans.

2 May 2013

Hypothalamus controls aging throughout the body, scientists report

While the search continues for the Fountain of Youth, researchers may have found the body's "fountain of aging": the brain region known as the hypothalamus.

2 May 2013

Health Disparities News and Research

Further Reading

Second annual conference to reduce genomic health disparities

GWU launches Avance Center for the Advancement of Immigrant/Refugee Health

Obesity directly tied to several cancers

Vitamin C kills drug-resistant TB bacteria in lab

Roundup: Okla. governor pushes funding fix to cover 9,000 on Medicaid; Texas lawmakers OK new mental health funds

State rejections of Medicaid expansion likely to widen health disparities

UC Davis scientists detect novel molecular target for multiple sclerosis

Robotic transplantation may reduce health disparities for obese patients with chronic kidney failure

People diagnosed with cancer are more likely to declare bankruptcy

Low income African-American adults living closer to fast food restaurants have higher BMI

College of Nursing wins grant to implement community health and wellness program

GWU to hold forum to discuss public health issues that affect Latino immigrant communities

Symposium examines racial and ethnic health disparities on cancer care

Microclinic International to promote healthier living in the Cumberland Valley Region

WVU ICRH director named 2013 Rural Health Practitioner of the Year

SLU SNMA students receive Leadership in Institutional Diversity Award

Schools play a critical role in early identification of adolescents with mental disorders

Study: Combination of chemotherapy and nerve-protecting agents can prevent anemia

Researchers awarded grant to reduce higher rates of stroke among underserved populations

Hypothalamus controls aging throughout the body, scientists report

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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