The COVID-19 Pandemic, Geroscience, and Intersectional Dimensions of Health and Well-being.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenged bioethical principles of research and the ability of scientific and healthcare institutions to provide equitable care. How can geroscience adapt to build equity within research protocols to better serve minoritized and marginalized communities? What lessons can geroscience take from the COVID-19 pandemic and its response? Developing geroscience approaches that incorporate such knowledge, including vaccine distribution plans and coalition-building to improve vaccine confidence, may help to reduce health inequities.

Examining Black and Hispanic physicians and other healthcare providers' attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine.

Objectives: Recognizing that the voice delivering the message is as important as the information being shared, we examined vaccine perceptions and willingness to encourage patients to obtain COVID-19 vaccinations among Black and Hispanic healthcare providers.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, online survey of Black and Hispanic healthcare providers who were members of the National Medical Association (NMA), National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), and National Pharmaceutical Association (NPhA) between January 11 - March 3, 2021, shortly after emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. Three multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine factors associated with the willingness to encourage COVID-19 vaccination.

Experiences of Discrimination, Institutional Responses to Seminal Race Events, and Depressive Symptoms in Black U.S. Medical Students.

Purpose: To examine the relationship between experiences of discrimination, institutional responses to seminal race events, and depressive symptoms among Black medical students.

Method: This study collected data from a convenience sample of Black U.S.

Discovering a Hidden Figure of Service and Leadership: The Reverend Charles Edgar Newsome, MD.

Collaborative research between the University School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Health Sciences Library and Department of African and African American Studies recently identified Dr. Charles Edgar Newsome as the institution's first African American physician graduate in 1893. Born May 25, 1856 in the town of Buffalo within Putnam County of Northwest Virginia, he served for 3 years and 6 months as a member of the Regimental Band of the United States Army 25th Infantry, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers, became Grand Master of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, and served communities of the state as a reverend, physician, and civic leader.

Primary Care Provider Understanding of Hair Care Maintenance as a Barrier to Physical Activity in African American Women.

Introduction: African American (AA) women have reported hair maintenance as a barrier to regular exercise; however, to our knowledge, this study is the first to identify primary care provider thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge regarding hair as a barrier to increased physical activity among AA females.

Methods: A 13-question electronic survey was sent via email to 151 clinicians working within a department of family medicine's 8 ambulatory clinics within a large urban academic medical center.

Results: A total of 62 primary care clinicians completed the survey, which is a response rate of 41%.

Strategies for Achieving Diversity through Medical School Admissions.

The relative lack of diversity in medicine is a rate limiting factor in efforts to eliminate health care disparities. Many medical schools struggle to matriculate student bodies that reflect the diversity of this country. Actively recruiting is one tactic to diversify a medical school's applicant pool, but in isolation is not enough.

Implicit Racial Bias in Medical School Admissions.

Problem: Implicit white race preference has been associated with discrimination in the education, criminal justice, and health care systems and could impede the entry of African Americans into the medical profession, where they and other minorities remain underrepresented. Little is known about implicit racial bias in medical school admissions committees.

Approach: To measure implicit racial bias, all 140 members of the Ohio State University College of Medicine (OSUCOM) admissions committee took the black-white implicit association test (IAT) prior to the 2012-2013 cycle.

Postbaccalaureate premedical programs to promote physician-workforce diversity.

There is a critical need for enhanced health-professions workforce diversity to drive excellence and to improve access to quality care for vulnerable and underserved populations. In the current higher education environment, post-baccalaureate premedical programs with a special focus on diversity, sustained through consistent institutional funding, may be an effective institutional strategy to promote greater health professions workforce diversity, particularly physician-workforce diversity. In 2014, 71 of the 200 programs (36%) in a national post-baccalaureate premedical programs data base identified themselves as having a special focus on groups underrepresented in medicine and/or on economically or educationally disadvantaged students.

A National Long-term Outcomes Evaluation of U.S. Premedical Postbaccalaureate Programs Designed to Promote Health care Access and Workforce Diversity.

Unlabelled: The National Postbaccalaureate Collaborative (NPBC) is a partnership of Postbaccalaureate Programs (PBPs) dedicated to helping promising college graduates from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds get into and succeed in medical school. This study aims to determine long-term program outcomes by looking at PBP graduates, who are now practicing physicians, in terms of health care service to the poor and underserved and contribution to health care workforce diversity.

Methods: We surveyed the PBP graduates and a randomly drawn sample of non-PBP graduates from the affiliated 10 medical schools stratified by the year of medical school graduation (1996-2002).

Voices that may not otherwise be heard: a qualitative exploration into the perspectives of primary care patients living with chronic pain.

Background: Although psychometrically sound pain assessment tools are available, there is a paucity of research that comprehensively defines chronic pain from the perspective of patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of a combination of qualitative methods (Photovoice, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups) in examining the daily experiences of primary care patients living with chronic pain.

Methods: A sample of English-speaking primary care patients aged 30 years or older, who had been prescribed an opioid for long-term, noncancer pain management, participated in the study.

Health empowerment technologies (HET): building a web-based tool to empower older African American patient-doctor relationships.

Responding to health and digital inequities among older African Americans, a customized web-based mobile health information intervention is being developed for this vulnerable group and their doctors as part of the Health Empowerment Technologies (HET) Project. The belief is an empowered patient-doctor relationship leads to more improved health outcomes than patient empowerment alone. Using health information technology to empower both older African Americans and their doctors by increasing health literacy and computer capacities of both is the major HET study aim.

Development and validation of the Patient Opioid Education Measure.

Background: Although there are screening tools to aid clinicians in assessing the risk of opioid misuse, an instrument to assess opioid-related knowledge is not currently available. The purpose of this study was to develop a content-valid, understandable, readable, and reliable Patient Opioid Education Measure (POEM).

Methods: Using concept mapping, clinicians caring for patients with chronic pain participated in brainstorming, sorting, and rating need-to-know information for patients prescribed opioids.

Academic and professional career outcomes of medical school graduates who failed USMLE Step 1 on the first attempt.

This study sought to determine the academic and professional outcomes of medical school graduates who failed the United States Licensing Examination Step 1 on the first attempt. This retrospective cohort study was based on pooled data from 2,003 graduates of six Midwestern medical schools in the classes of 1997-2002. Demographic, academic, and career characteristics of graduates who failed Step 1 on the first attempt were compared to graduates who initially passed.

Evaluation of a new cultural competency training program: CARE Columbus.

Purpose: This article reports the educational outcomes of the newly developed CARE (Cultural Awareness and Respect Through Education) Columbus cultural competency training program.

Methods: Questionnaires were administered to course participants, who completed the 3-hour CARE Columbus cultural competency training program from March 17, 2006, to April 18, 2008. A pilot work site implementation questionnaire was also sent to a smaller sample of participants who completed the course.