It is no longer hyperbole to say that we are witnessing our health system moving slowly but surely to a point where it will be very difficult to return. Despite the weighty First Ministers’ meeting with the Prime Minister on health care, complete…
Category: Public Health & Policy
Race categorizations are worsening health inequities for the South West Asian North African (SWANA) communities
The Office of Management and Budget is requesting members of the public to provide feedback on a proposal from the Biden Administration to add Middle-Eastern North African (MENA) to the 2030 U.S. Census. If the reforms pass, it would be a major victory…
An unspoken truth about non-compete clauses in medicine
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken on non-compete clauses and requested public comments on this issue for upcoming hearings. In health care, the majority of physicians have become employees, and most practices are being bought out by hospital…
Fostering the next (diverse) generation of clinicians
As a medical student, I never saw myself as a future CEO or anything close. I was often the only Black person in the room in classes and rotations. After I became an attending, I spent a great deal of time and mental energy fitting in. Speaking up and …
Unintended consequences of Health Care Quality Improvement Act: a violation of physicians’ civil and constitutional rights
The Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, as well as the Human Rights Campaign for the LGBTQ+ community, are a few examples of where American democracy and values have triumphed in restoring dignity and civil and constitutional rights to marginalize…
We need a new approach to Black mental health
In recent weeks, an outpouring of new research has highlighted the severity of the Black mental health crisis. One new poll shows that 77% of Black and Latinx women face mental health barriers related to racism. Another new study found that Black women…
Rethinking access to the American tip jar: It’s time to include nurses and dental hygienists
Americans are accustomed to tipping for a wide array of services. We understand that our gratuity makes up an important percentage of the wages earned by many different types of laborers: massage therapists, Uber drivers, hair stylists, tour guides, ro…
Research literacy bridges the medical mistrust gap
A long inglorious history of medical racism and mistreatment has dire health consequences. Consider the atrocities associated with experimentation on African Americans without informed consent during the Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-1972), which erode…
The Titanic sinking: a metaphor for the impending collapse of medicine
The re-release of the movie Titanic marks its 25th anniversary since it first sailed into theaters. Can you believe it? Twenty-five years ago, we watched Rose get undressed for a self-portrait with only a necklace on, Jack yelling, “I’m the…
Patient empowerment: the key to solving the health care crisis
A sobering study by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts an unthinkable shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 doctors by 2034. If underserved populations had fewer barriers to medical care, that shortfall could reach over 180,0…
