All Entries in the "Marginalized Populations in Healthcare" Category
The Spring Edition of the 2013 Journal of the Student National Medical Association is here!
Click here to access the Spring 2013 JSNMA! This issue is focused on chronic diseases in the minority community. More than 130 million Americans suffer from chronic conditions today. The number continues to rise, as we are a population that is living longer. The leading causes of death from disease are from heart disease, cancer, [...]
Study: Cheap vinegar test cut cervical cancer deaths in India; could help many poor countries
MUMBAI, India – A simple vinegar test slashed cervical cancer death rates by one-third in a remarkable study of 150,000 women in the slums of India, where the disease is the top cancer killer of women. Doctors reported the results Sunday at a cancer conference in Chicago. Experts called the outcome “amazing” and said this [...]
Minorities and Medicine: Why Diversity is Key
Did you know that less than 12 percent of medical students are Hispanic, African American, or Native American? By contrast, around 35 percent of the population in the United States consists of these minorities. This radical difference in reflective diversity results in significant setbacks for patient care, including issues of mistrust, translation difficulties, and lack [...]
A new degree plan speeds students towards addressing S. Texas’ physician shortage
To alleviate the shortage of physicians in South Texas, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio this spring accepted the first students into a seven-year Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in biology and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree program. [...]
Valerie Jarrett on Ending HIV/AIDS in the United States
Last month, fourteen-time Grammy Award-winning artist and HIV advocate Alicia Keys introduced EMPOWERED, an ongoing public information campaign to reach women in the U.S. about HIV/AIDS. At the launch event in Washington, D.C. at the Kaiser Family Foundation, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett spoke both personally and professionally about how this disease affects us [...]
Living Near Fast-Food Outlets Might Boost Obesity Risk
Having a fast-food restaurant nearby might be a convenience, but living within two miles of one may be a little too convenient. According to a new study, black Americans who live near these businesses have a higher body-mass index than those living farther away. Researchers at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found [...]
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. [...]
Black Americans and Health Insurance: an Alarming Infographic
Health care is on the front pages once more as the controversial Affordable Care Act develops into one of the critical pivots on which the success of President Obama’s second term is expected to turn. At stake is not only Obama’s place in history; it’s the entire US economy wherein health care is the lynchpin to turn [...]
We’re All Created Equal—But Not When It Comes to Health
They’re called “health disparities.” It’s a fancy term that basically means some people get better healthcare, or are healthier to begin with, than others, thanks primarily to differences in economic and social status. For example, if you’re a black or Hispanic person in the U.S. and you head to the emergency room for treatment, you’re less likely than a white person to [...]
Disparities in care for blacks linked to segregation, unconscious bias
Two studies published in January highlight the challenges blacks face in accessing equitable, quality health care. In one study, primary care physicians found to have unconscious bias against blacks received lower marks from their African-American patients on measures of trust and communication skills. Another study found that racial segregation exacerbates disparities in lung cancer mortality. [...]
