Advertisement

Exploring gaps in A/I care based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors

| February 15, 2021

Exploring gaps in A/I care based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors

The College’s Racial Disparities and Health Equity Resource Center explores gaps in A/I care based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors.

When I began my tenure as College president a few months ago, my goal was to lead the College in innovating, diversifying and expanding. I identified several priorities, including addressing disparities in health care.

I am pleased the College recently launched the ACAAI Racial Disparities and Health Equity Resource Center. With a focus on health disparities specific to allergy/immunology, the Center is a place to explore the factors and challenges that contribute to gaps in care for patients based on racial and ethnic considerations.

headshot of Luz Fonacier, MD

Resources address areas allergists/immunologists treat, including food allergy, asthma, atopic dermatitis and more. In the Center, you’ll find a variety of ways to explore this complex issue:

  • Read research from Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology on a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic aspects of A/I care.
  • Watch a College webinar on disparities in food allergies.
  • Take a course from the 2020 College Annual Meeting on addressing racial disparities in allergy/immunology.
  • Listen to a College podcast on racial disparities in asthma-related health care.

Other organizations – including the Allergy and Asthma Network and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America – are also working on projects to improve health equity, and you’ll find information on these projects and more in our new Recourse Center.

The College will continue to enhance the Center with more information and learning opportunities. I hope you will take the time to explore so we can work on closing gaps and reducing disparities in the quality of care for allergy/immunology patients.

As you know, February is Black History Month. We celebrate Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman to become a physician in 1864.  She wrote “A Book of Medical Discourses,” which was one of the first publications written by a Black person about medicine. Today, more than 150 years later, we still have work to do to continue promoting diversity in our profession. We need physicians of all genders, races and religious backgrounds to inform and provide the best care for all patients.

Advertisement