Black People Half as Likely to Be Evaluated for Genetic Testing as White People

Genetic testing has become a more common way to diagnose and manage many neurologic conditions including dementia, Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, but a new study has found not everyone may have the same level of access to these tests. Black people were half as likely as white people to be evaluated for genetic testing, according to a study published in the March 6, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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

New Study Shows Substantial Racial and Ethnic Disparities Among Survivors of Second Primary Cancers in the United States

In new findings from researchers at the American Cancer Society, non-Hispanic Black individuals diagnosed with a second primary cancer experienced 21% higher cancer-related death rates and 41% higher cardiovascular-related death rates compared with their non-Hispanic White counterparts.

Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Representation and Salary among Academic Cardiothoracic Surgeons

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A wealth of data has shown that diversity in the physician workforce improves patient care, safety, physician well-being, and innovation; and fair compensation is essential to culturing a diverse workforce.

American Indian/Native American women have lower mammography use even if they have higher income

A new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study found that for American Indian/Native American women, living in above-average-income communities was not associated with higher mammography use compared to American Indian/Native American women living in below-average-income communities.

Black, Latino People with Epilepsy Less Likely to Be Prescribed Newer Drugs

Among people with epilepsy, Black, Latino and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander people are less likely to be prescribed newer drugs than white people, which can be a marker of the quality of care, according to a study published in the January 11, 2023, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Death, hospital readmission more likely for Black patients after coronary stenting

Black patients who undergo minimally invasive procedures for clogged arteries are more likely to die or be readmitted to the hospital months after the procedure, a Michigan Medicine study finds. Results reveal social determinants of health – including community economic well-being, personal income and wealth, and preexisting health conditions – played a significant role in the outcomes.

August Research Highlights

A Roundup of the Latest Medical Discoveries and Faculty News at Cedars-Sinai

Race-based spirometry equations may miss emphysema

A secondary data analysis of the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults) Lung study found that emphysema is often detectable on CT scan before spirometry findings become abnormal. The findings suggest that reliance on spirometry alone may result in the underrecognition of impaired respiratory health. Because the discrepancy is particularly present in Black men, this could exacerbate racial disparities. The analysis is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Racism, mistrust exacerbate psychiatric conditions in minority perinatal patients; new approaches needed to reduce healthcare disparities

Deeper understanding of medical mistrust among pregnant and postpartum racial and ethnic minority women, as well as collaborative care models and community partnerships, can help to mitigate racialized healthcare disparities in this patient population, suggests a new paper in Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Black Patients 24% Less Likely than White Patients to Have a Prostate MRI after Receiving an Elevated PSA Score

A new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study of nearly 800,000 men found that between 2011 and 2017 black patients were 24% less likely than white patients to have a prostate MRI after receiving an elevated (prostate-specific antigen) PSA score. For patients with an elevated PSA, use of prostate MRI prior to prostate biopsy has increased substantially in recent years as MRI can improve identification of clinically significant prostate cancer and obviate the need for biopsy, thus decreasing overdiagnosis of these cases. This JAMA Network Open study was based on 794,809 men, age 40 or older, with a PSA test using claims data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Of these men, 51,500 had an PSA score >4ng/mL. The study found that patients with Medicare compared to commercial insurance were less likely to have a prostate MRI as were patients with HMO insurance plans compared to other plan types.

Race, Age, Sex and Language Affected Telemedicine Use by Rheumatology Clinic Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic

New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows a significant lack of fairness among telemedicine and electronic patient portals used by rheumatology clinic patients based on their race, age, sex and English language proficiency.

Intervention eliminates Black-white gaps in survival from early-stage breast and lung cancer

A new study shows that system-level changes to the way cancer care is delivered can also eliminate Black-white disparities in survival from early-stage lung and breast cancer. By identifying and addressing obstacles that kept patients from finishing radiation treatments for cancer, the intervention improved five-year survival rates for all patients and erased the survival gap between Black and white patients. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.

Mount Sinai Study Identifies Significant Inequalities Among Low-Risk Births, Finds Higher Rates of Unexpected Complications for Black and Hispanic Infants

Hospital quality of care during delivery is a major factor for racial and ethnic disparities among low-risk newborns

Racial Differences in Recovery Following Sports-Related Concussion Identified in Young Black and White Athletes

Researchers examined whether race (Black or White) influences outcomes and subjective experiences in young athletes who have sustained a sports-related concussion. Of primary interest were how long it takes for symptom resolution and return to school as well as changes in daily activities and sports behaviors.

COVID-19 Shutdowns Reveal Racial Disparities in Exposure to Air Pollution

A new GW study of COVID-19 shutdowns in the United States reveals pronounced disparities in air pollution — with disenfranchised, minority neighborhoods still experiencing more exposure to a harmful air pollutant compared to wealthier, white communities.

Officers’ tone of voice reflects racial disparities in policing

The Black Lives Matter movement has brought increasing attention to disparities in how police officers treat Black and white Americans. Now, research published by the American Psychological Association finds that disparity may exist even in subtle differences in officers’ tone of voice when they address Black and white drivers during routine traffic stops.

Study Sheds Light on Persistent Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Care in the United States

Black men most likely to benefit from advanced prostate cancer therapies are 11 percent less likely to get them than non-Black men. This happens despite apparent equal opportunities in obtaining health care services, a new study in American veterans shows.

NCCN Policy Summit Explores How COVID-19 Pandemic Can Lead to Improvements in Cancer Care

NCCN Policy Summit examines the impact of the past year on oncology policy in the U.S., such as resuming recommended screening and clinical trials, applying health innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic to cancer treatment, and addressing systemic inequalities that lead to disparities in outcomes.

Mount Sinai identifies the causes of racial disparity in prostate cancer in a multi-institutional study

MEDIA ADVISORY Senior Author:  Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Professor and System Chairman of the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer…

Penn Nursing-led Philly Team Awarded $1.4 Million NIH Grant to Expand COVID-19 Outreach

José A. Bauermeister, PhD, and Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, are leading one of 10 new research teams from across the country that received National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants totaling $14 million to extend the reach of the NIH’s Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. The Philly CEAL team was awarded $1.4 million from the NIH with additional support from Penn Nursing and The University of Pennsylvania, bringing the total for the alliance to $1.53 million.

Waitlist Policies May Contribute to Racial Disparities in Access to Kidney Transplantation

• Racial disparities in access to kidney transplantation persist in the United States. New research indicates that registering Black patients on the kidney transplant waitlist at a slightly higher level of kidney function compared with white patients might lessen racial inequality in patients’ wait time prior to kidney failure onset, and ultimately improve racial equity in access to kidney transplantation.

Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer

The colons of African-Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer – the cancer that killed beloved “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman.

Study Finds Little Progress in Addressing Racial Disparities for Dementia Risk

While rates of dementia for the U.S. population have been relatively stable or in decline since 2000, rates for Black Americans remain disproportionately high, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. Melinda C. Power, ScD, director of the…