The neighborhood walk: introducing first-year medical students to social determinants of health in underserved neighborhoods.

Background: Social determinants of health (SDoH) contribute to up to 80% of an individual's health, underscoring its importance in medical education. Research has shown that community exposure and engagement during undergraduate medical education increases the likelihood of students working in underserved areas in the future. Given the limited research on the feasibility and educational effects of SDoH experiences implemented at the early stages of medical education, this study presents a unique perspective on an interactive learning opportunity during the preclinical curriculum.

Racial and Ethnic Distribution in Diabetic Macular Edema Clinical Trials in the United States (2002-2021).

Purpose: Diabetic macular edema (DME), the leading cause of vision loss among patients with diabetes mellitus, disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic patients. Currently, non-White racial and ethnic subgroups are frequently underrepresented in clinical trials, limiting the application of results to the most pertinent patient populations. Thus, we aimed to characterize the trajectory of racial reporting as well as changes and disparities in racial and ethnic distribution among participants of DME clinical trials.