Smdep Seeks Individuals Who Will Advance the

SMDEP seeks individuals who will advance the goals of diversity in the medical and dental profession, reduce health-care disparities, and/or improve health care to underserved populations. Please share your experiences in one or all of these areas. Despite the many advances America has made in recent decades regarding racial equality, it still remains a profoundly divided society. Just as this inequality is manifested in terms of economics and education, it is also evident in public health statistics regarding disease and wellness.

African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are more likely to be obese than white Americans, which can have profound social as well as physical consequences for the individual. There are many reasons that this is the case, some of which have to do with racism in American history and others of which have to do with poverty. The poor in general suffer in greater numbers from ill health due to lack of treatment and lack of access to healthy foods and places to exercise.

While the solutions to these problems are complex and cannot merely be solved with a single 'silver bullet,' greater diversity in the medical profession can help clinicians better understand how the lifestyle, circumstances, and daily grind of existence gives rise to the ill health of specific groups.

It is very easy to tell someone who is on a fixed budget, working two part-time jobs, and who has no health insurance to "eat better and exercise more," but unless the tools and the path of self-improvement are specifically outlined for the patient in a realistic manner, with attention to his or her life circumstances, the patient is unlikely to feel able to follow this advice. Health disparities cannot be explained by poverty alone.

Certain foods and attitudes towards food, for example, can be passed on from generation to generation. Grandparents may associate giving traditional types of food with giving love to their grandchildren, without thinking of the health consequences. Environmental pressures like the fact friends choose to eat at McDonald's rather than grab an apple from the store after school can have an impact upon the lives of people for decades to come. Food habits can be ingrained in a patient's life and culture in a manner that is very difficult to change.

Looking into the eyes of a doctor or nurse and seeing a sympathetic face that understands the patient's culture, concerns, and lifestyle is helpful. It is vital that the medical profession reflect the diversity of America in its changing composition if it is to serve the needs of the population. Of course, this does not mean that every healthcare provider has to be of the same background as his or her patients.

But if a patient only sees doctors who do not reflect his cultural background, this can make the patient feel alienated from the practice of medicine, particularly if he feels as if the doctor does not understand his concerns. I feel particularly strongly about this issue because so many of my family members have struggled with weight-related issues and the health consequences of being overweight. Many of them grew up poor, and the issue was always having too little food, rather than too much. Now that.