title: Prioritizing health disparities in medical education to improve care.
abstract: Despite yearly advances in life-saving and preventive medicine, as well as strategic approaches by governmental and social agencies and groups, significant disparities remain in health, health quality, and access to health care within the United States. The determinants of these disparities include baseline health status, race and ethnicity, culture, gender identity and expression, socioeconomic status, region or geography, sexual orientation, and age. In order to renew the commitment of the medical community to address health disparities, particularly at the medical school level, we must remind ourselves of the roles of doctors and medical schools as the gatekeepers and the value setters for medicine. Within those roles are responsibilities toward the social mission of working to eliminate health disparities. This effort will require partnerships with communities as well as with academic centers to actively develop and to implement diversity and inclusion strategies. Besides improving the diversity of trainees in the pipeline, access to health care can be improved, and awareness can be raised regarding population-based health inequalities.
authors: Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
authors: Temitope
authors: T
authors: Awosogba
authors: Joseph R
authors: JR
authors: Betancourt
authors: F Garrett
authors: FG
authors: Conyers
authors: Estela S
authors: ES
authors: Estapé
authors: Fritz
authors: F
authors: Francois
authors: Sabrina J
authors: SJ
authors: Gard
authors: Arthur
authors: A
authors: Kaufman
authors: Mitchell R
authors: MR
authors: Lunn
authors: Marc A
authors: MA
authors: Nivet
authors: Joel D
authors: JD
authors: Oppenheim
authors: Claire
authors: C
authors: Pomeroy
authors: Howa
authors: H
authors: Yeung
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D003256:Community Participation; D018864:Cultural Diversity; D003479:Curriculum; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000592:standards; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006292:Health Priorities; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054525:Minority Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010819:Physician's Role; D011287:Prejudice; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012945:Social Values; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
references: Public Health Rep. 2003 Jul-Aug;118(4):293-302
references: 12815076
references: Ann Fam Med. 2010 Jan-Feb;8(1):73-81
references: 20065282
references: JAMA. 2005 Sep 7;294(9):1058-67
references: 16145026
references: JAMA. 2008 Apr 16;299(15):1761-2
references: 18413866
references: JAMA. 2011 Sep 7;306(9):971-7
references: 21900137
references: Am J Prev Med. 2011 Oct;41(4 Suppl 3):S214-9
references: 21961667
references: N Engl J Med. 2012 Sep 6;367(10):891-3
references: 22931258
references: BMC Res Notes. 2012 Jan 24;5:64
references: 22272666
references: Acad Med. 2011 Dec;86(12):1487-9
references: 22130259
references: Acad Med. 2005 Aug;80(8):739-44
references: 16043528
references: JAMA. 2012 Jul 4;308(1):17-9
references: 22760270
references: Evid Rep Technol Assess (Summ). 2004 Jan;(90):1-8
references: 15164678
references: P R Health Sci J. 2011 Dec;30(4):167-75
references: 22263296
references: Soc Secur Bull. 2007;67(3):1-28
references: 18605216
references: Am J Public Health. 2010 Apr 1;100 Suppl 1:S19-24
references: 20147662
references: N Engl J Med. 2012 Sep 6;367(10):888-9
references: 22931228
references: Science. 2008 Jan 11;319(5860):136
references: 18187624
references: Ann Intern Med. 1999 May 18;130(10):829-34
references: 10366373
references: J Community Health. 2012 Jun;37(3):563-71
references: 21953498
references: BMJ Qual Saf. 2011 Oct;20(10):826-31
references: 21447501
references: Public Health Rep. 2010 Jul-Aug;125 Suppl 4:6-7
references: 20629251
references: Acad Med. 2011 Nov;86(11):1343
references: 22030642
references: J Public Health Manag Pract. 2008 Nov;14 Suppl:S8-17
references: 18843244
references: J Immigr Minor Health. 2009 Aug;11(4):319-25
references: 18322798
references: Clin Transl Sci. 2010 Dec;3(6):270-1
references: 21207873