UC Irvine professor of nursing to receive national award for policy advocacy

Irvine, Calif., April 17, 2024 — Susanne Phillips, DNP, professor and senior associate dean in UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing, has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Policy Award from the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. She is being recognized for developing, implementing and advocating for policies that positively affect the role of the advanced practice registered nurse and significantly increase community healthcare access and quality.

Manager of Cancer Care Equity Program for NCCN Named to ‘40 Under 40’ List from National Minority Quality Forum

Taneal D. Carter, MS, MPA, Manager of Cancer Care Equity Program for NCCN, has been named one of 2024’s ‘40 Under 40’ by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF). Visit NCCN.org/equity for more information.

Review offers strategies for mitigating racial and ethnic disparities in health care algorithms

A review of 63 studies related to health care algorithms found that use of these algorithms can mitigate, exacerbate, or not impact racial and ethnic disparities at all. The authors offer several strategies for health care systems to implement to mitigate these effects. The review is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Advocating for Equitable Cancer Care: A Call to Establish Comprehensive Survivorship Programming and Enhance Genetic Testing Discussions

Two new measurements have been added to the Health Equity Report Card (HERC)—a tool for improving the quality and equity of cancer care. This expansion is part of ongoing efforts to address the impact of structural and interpersonal racism as a cause of disparities in cancer outcomes in the United States.

Grants Available to Support Initiatives Addressing Nursing Work Environments and Health Equity

AACN, AARP, and the Future of Nursing: Campaign for Action partner to offer the 2024 Health Equity and Nursing Innovations Project Grants: Nursing Workforce and Healthy Work Environments. Awards of up to $25,000 will be given for projects that will be completed in one year. Projects require 1:1 matching funds. Proposals due by April 5.

Black and White Adults Have Similar Health Care Expenditure Levels in Racially and Economically Integrated Communities

Differences in health care expenditures between Black and white adults vary substantially with the local level of racial and economic integration, and tend to be low or nonexistent in highly integrated communities, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Mount Sinai Receives $4.6 Million From The Pershing Square Foundation to Support Women’s Health Research and Careers for Women in Science

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a $4.6 million gift from The Pershing Square Foundation to support women’s health research and advance careers for female scientists

GW Experts Available: More than 75,000 union health care workers are set to strike Wednesday

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente health care workers are poised to walk off the job in five states and the District of Columbia after labor talks failed to advance over the weekend. A coalition of unions representing Kaiser workers had…

National Academies report identifies ways to reduce intergenerational poverty in US

Irvine, Calif., Sept. 25, 2023 — A report released Thursday, Sept. 21, by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies evidence-based programs and policies, such as increased K-12 spending for school districts serving low-income students, to combat intergenerational poverty in the United States.

Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity Announces its 2024 Cohort

The Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity U.S. + Global (AFHE), part of the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity (Mullan Institute), based at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, is proud to announce its 2024 cohort — 16 emerging leaders from around the globe that are passionate about their common goal to achieve health equity.

Sylvester study shows that new protocols enable many patients to safely return home just one day after lung cancer surgery

Thoracic surgeons and researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center found that increasing numbers of patients undergoing cancer-removal lung surgery by “anatomic lung resections” are able to go home safely and without complications one day after the operation.

Real-world examples demonstrate how systems science can address health inequities

As researchers increasingly recognize that causes for health issues are structural and interrelated, real-world, innovative case studies demonstrate the value of applying systems science to evaluate health interventions and address health inequities as seen in a special supplement, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in the October/December issue of Family & Community Health. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Study: health equity an important aspect of improving quality of care provided to children in emergency departments

A new multi-site study led by Indiana University School of Medicine found increasing pediatric readiness in emergency departments reduces, but does not eliminate, racial and ethnic disparities in children and adolescents with acute medical emergencies.

Race-based variations in gut bacteria emerge by 3 months of age

Variations in the gut microbiome are linked to the incidence and mortality of diseases. A new study highlights a critical development window during which these differences emerge. The findings are based on analysis of data from 2,756 gut microbiome samples from 729 U.S. children between birth and 12 years of age.

July 2023 Tip Sheet From Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

A first-of-its kind drug for prostate cancer, an ancient retrovirus that may drive aggressive brain cancer, disparities in endometrial cancer rates among Black women, a new trial seeking answers for higher rates of aggressive prostate and breast cancer in Black men and women, and more are in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center Named the Most Socially and Racially Responsible Hospital in the District

MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the most socially responsible hospital in Washington, D.C. and is among the top in the nation, according to the Lown Institute. The 2023-24 Lown Institute Hospitals Index evaluated more than 3,600 hospitals nationwide, and MedStar Washington ranked #1 in D.C. and is among 54 U.S. hospitals to earn Honor Roll status with “A” grades in all top categories: Social Responsibility, Health Equity, Value of Care, and Patient Outcomes. It also named MedStar Washington the most racially inclusive hospital in the District.

RUSH and UChicago Medicine Expand Racial Health Equity Reporting Tool Nationally

Chicago health systems RUSH and UChicago Medicine are making available a free self-assessment tool that uses a race-conscious approach to help hospitals benchmark health equity efforts for all patients. Created after the COVID 19 pandemic revealed disproportionate racial and ethnic mortality rates, the effort is supported by a Commonwealth Fund grant and was piloted at hospitals across Illinois.

Addressing disparities in Alzheimer’s disease research

Age-related cognitive decline and the escalating prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease are pressing social challenges as the population of those 65 and older continues to expand. Age is the primary risk factor, but research has shown that social and structural determinants of health play significant roles in the higher incidence of Alzheimer’s among marginalized communities.

June Tip Sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

A world-renowned biochemist joins the Sylvester Cancer team, a global health leader strives to ensure more equitable cancer care, a recent study identifies disparities in federal cancer research funding, new targeted therapies for thyroid and other cancers are making surgery a secondary option for many patients, efforts to preserve women’s sexual health while they receive endocrine therapy for breast cancer, and more are highlighted in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Choosing Wisely” interventions can reduce antibiotic overuse at safety-net hospitals

A statewide pay-for-performance intervention based on a set of guidelines called Choosing Wisely reduced rates of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions to treat acute respiratory tract infections by an average of 18 percentage points, from 43% to 25%, across two large Los Angeles safety net hospitals.

Bilingual, digital health tool helps reduce alcohol use, UC Irvine-led study finds

An automated, bilingual, computerized alcohol screening and intervention health tool is effective in reducing alcohol use among Latino emergency department patients in the U.S., according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine. “This is the first bilingual, large-scale, emergency department-based, randomized clinical trial of its kind in the country focused on English- and Spanish-speaking Latino participants,” said lead author Dr.

UC Irvine-led study finds Medicaid telemedicine coverage boosted use, healthcare access

Medicaid telemedicine coverage between 2013 and 2019 was associated with significant growth in telemedicine use and improved healthcare access, while private policies did not have such an association, according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine. An analysis of 20,000 records of U.

Treatment cost analysis highlights systemic health inequities faced by persons with sickle cell disease

A new distributional cost-effectiveness analysis of gene therapy versus standard-of-care for sickle cell disease (SCD) found that while gene therapy is cost-ineffective by conventional measures, it can be an equitable therapeutic strategy for persons living with SCD in the United States when equity, cost, and value of treatment are considered together. These findings highlight systemic health inequities faced by persons with sickle cell disease (SCD). The authors say this is the first quantitative consideration of health equity for patients with SCD regarding the decision between gene therapy and standard care and the first study of its kind in any rare disease.

Yale study finds staggering toll of excess deaths and health disparities for Black Americans

A new study reveals a staggering disparity in life expectancy between Black Americans and their white counterparts between 1999 and 2020. In an analysis of U.S. data, a Yale-led team of researchers found 1.63 million excess deaths in the Black population compared with white Americans, representing more than 80 million excess years of potential life lost.

Ochsner Health Pledges Zero Health Gaps for World Health Day

The Zero Health Gaps Pledge is part of the Global Health Equity Network (GHEN), which brings together key stakeholders from public and private sectors to advance a collective vision of Zero Health Gaps within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving Zero Health Gaps would mean that all individuals have the fair and just opportunity to fulfill their human potential in all aspects of health and well-being. By taking this pledge, Ochsner is declaring its commitment to meaningful action and collaboration toward health equity.

Irvine Health Foundation’s $14 million grant to UC Irvine will establish 7 endowed chairs

A $14 million grant from the Irvine Health Foundation to the University of California, Irvine will establish seven endowed chairs in the Program in Public Health to recruit and retain the field’s top academic leaders and experts, who will strive for health equity among all Orange County residents.

CLINICAL TRIAL PARTICIPATION ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED OVERALL SURVIVAL IN OVARIAN CANCER PATIENTS

Clinical trial participation was associated with improved overall survival (OS) compared to standard of care therapy among women with platinum-resistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), according to a research study presented today at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2023 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer.

March Tip Sheet From Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

A new study reported in JAMA Network Open unveils disparities in Mesothelioma survival, a grant to help construction workers nail quitting smoking, a new AI algorithm that offers insights into deadly cancer, a newly launched Neuroendocrine Tumors Program, a cancer researcher chosen to co-lead Tumor Biology Program and more are in this month’s tip sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.