The Health Disparities Podcast

How the Lasker Foundation champions the importance of social determinants to all aspects of research and to shifting focus upstream. Featuring Dr. Cla...

Social determinants of health, the life circumstances in which we are born, educated, work and play, are powerful drivers of as much as 90% of our health status. Lasker Foundation President Dr Claire Pomeroy discusses ways that race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, the safety of our neighborhoods, having good access to food, and feeling part of a community all combine to impact health.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Disadvantaged Communities at Higher Risk?

Nobody can ignore the COVID-19 pandemic. But will some communities be hit harder than others? What are the implications for people with diabetes and obesity? Will everyone be able to access care if they need it?

Weight bias. Obesity specialist Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, discusses what’s behind the most common form of bias in the US, how that bias causes stress,...

Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FACP, FTOS is an obesity medicine physician scientist, educator, and policy maker at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. She is a national and international sought-after expert in obesity medicine who bridges the intersection of medicine, public health, policy, and disparities.

To avoid racial bias, technology-based solutions need diverse voices at each stage of development. Featuring Adrienne White-Faines.

Fixing the incredible dysfunction of the healthcare system has been a career guiding light for Adrienne White-Faines, MPA, FACHE. Since electing to stay on the policy and strategy side of healthcare, she has held leadership roles with the American Cancer Society, the Primary Care Collaborative, and most recently as CEO of the American Osteopathic Association.

Addressing gang violence can teach us much about public health and inclusiveness. Featuring Father Gregory Boyle.

Known by most as simply “Father Greg”, Father Gregory Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, Inc. in Los Angeles to provide pathways out of violence through education, employment and community support.

Vanguard Award winner describes her work to address racial health disparities in Wisconsin. Featuring Dr. Patricia McManus

This year’s Vanguard Award winner is Dr. Patricia McManus, founder of the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW).

How surgeons can improve success rates and reduce disparities by incorporating broader education. Featuring Tamara Huff, MD.

Orthopedic surgeon Tamara Huff, MD was inspired by her mothers’ interest in carpentry (and her power tool collection) to take her medical career path, ultimately leading to the operating room.

Bundled payments and the marginalization of complex patients. Featuring Charles. L. Nelson, MD.

Although fee-for-service payments may encourage volume without rewarding quality, bundled payments may incentivize providers to avoid patients more prone to complications...

Good health is salvation here and now. Featuring Rev. Willis Steele, MDiv.

In some faith-based communities there has been an evolving sense of what constitutes transformation and salvation. Harlem native Rev. Willis Steele discusses the health needs of the congregations and communities he works with, his experience of integrating health into faith practice, and how mental health support can be complementary to spirituality. Rev. Steele also describes an inter-generational initiative helping aspiring “silver surfers” cross the digital divide by accessing online health information and reducing disparities. With Rolf Taylor.

Do providers give preference to more profitable patients? Featuring Daniel Wiznia, MD.

Yale hip and knee surgeon Daniel Wiznia, MD, used a “secret shopper” methodology to research and reveal patterns of appointment making that seem to indicate a marked preference for commercial insurance on the part of some surgery providers, which creates a barrier to access for Medicare and Medicaid patients. Is this a negative consequence of the bundled payments ushered in by the ACA reforms, and can risk-adjustments help solve the problem? With Bill Finerfrock.