For Minority Physicians

Eliminating disparities could improve health outcomes

Physicians can help reduce the racial and ethnic health disparities that are prevalent nationwide by considering the social, behavioral and economical conditions that may be affecting their patients, according to a panel discussion June 18 at the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegate.

Panelist Diana Ramos, MD, delegate for the AMA Minority Affairs Section, encouraged doctors to think beyond patients' individual visits and find out more about how social determinants—the conditions in which people are born, work, grow and age—affect them.

"If we can address these other social things, we'll start to notice, slowly but surely, improvement in our patients' health," Dr. Ramos said.

Eliminating health disparities is a priority for the AMA, which helps lead the Commission to End Health Care Disparities. AMA President-elect Jeremy A. Lazarus, MD, co-chair of the commission, reiterated the AMA's commitment to eliminating disparities and talked about meshing it with the AMA's focus on improving health outcomes, which is part of its new strategic direction.

"I hope the work of the commission can fold into that [focus]," Dr. Lazarus said.

Earlier in the session, Assistant U.S. Surgeon General James Galloway, MD, regional health administrator with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), detailed federal efforts aimed at eliminating disparities, including an HHS action plan and Healthy People 2020.

Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas meeting set for next week

The AMA Minority Affairs Section (MAS) encourages all physicians to attend this year's Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas Annual Meeting, which will take place July 5–7 in Las Vegas.

The meeting will feature three days of educational meetings, providing participants' knowledge related to the challenges facing minority health care providers in the provision of clinical and therapeutic services for diseases and conditions related to a variety of medical specialties. This year's conference will feature two major themes: sickle cell disease and the impact of information technology on health care delivery.

Attend this year's NMA annual meeting

Join your colleagues in attending the National Medical Association's annual Convention and Scientific Assembly, which will take place July 28–Aug. 1 in New Orleans, La. Network with other physicians, participate in hands-on activities and attend seminars addressing critical concerns for a variety of medical specialties.

The AMA Minority Affairs Section strongly encourages physicians to attend this meeting to further enhance their clinical knowledge and to take full advantage of the specialty workshop sessions.