A novel emergency medicine cultural competency curriculum addressing health care disparities.

Background: Effective cultural competency (CC) training for future health professionals is an important first step towards improving healthcare disparities (HCD). The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) now requires that institutions train residents and faculty members in CC relevant to the patient population they serve.

Methods: Using Kern's Model, we created and implemented a novel CC curriculum tailored to specific program needs in an emergency medicine residency program.

Implementation of a standardized pregnancy screening process to address gender disparities in radiology turn-around-time and ED length of stay.

Objective: The objective of this initiative was to quantify and intervene upon suspected gender disparities in CT turn-around-time and emergency department (ED) length of stay.

Methods: This was a single-site before-after quality improvement initiative including patients aged 12-50 who underwent CT chest and/or abdomen/pelvis. The intervention included protocolization of the pregnancy screening process in triage.

A User's Guide to the Web Series.

is a web series hosted on the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine website. The intended audience includes senior medical students seeking a residency in emergency medicine (EM) and the faculty members who advise them. Each episode features a panel of three EM program directors who discuss a critical step in the residency application process.

IL28B genotype does not correlate with HIV control in African Americans.

Background: HIV-1 natural viral suppressors (NVS) are individuals that control HIV replication without antiretrovirals (also know as HIV elite controllers). We have recently shown that these individuals have an elevated rate of hepatitis C virus (HCV) clearance. Given the association of IL28B genotype, specifically the rs12979860 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) based CC genotype, with HCV clearance, we studied its association with HIV control in 172 African American HIV subjects and 173 race-matched controls.

Hepatitis C infection in HIV-1 natural viral suppressors.

Objective: HIV-1 natural viral suppressors (NVSs) demonstrate an intrinsic ability to control HIV-1 replication in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. The objective of this study was to investigate whether HIV-infected NVSs also demonstrate enhanced ability to control hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and whether HCV infection in the NVSs affects the degree of HIV control.

Design And Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to compare HCV-related parameters in the NVS to the two race-matched cohorts (HIV/HCV-coinfected or HCV-monoinfected patients).