To imagine a society without racial disparities in health care, we must consider the real reasons inequities exist, said Dr. Thomas LaVeist, Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, in his keynote address on April 15 for Weill Cornell Medicine’s sixth annual Diversity Week.
Dr. LaVeist delivered the Elizabeth A. Wilson-Anstey, EdD Lecture, “My Journey to Discover Why African Americans Live Sicker and Die Younger,” as part of the annual celebration of Weill Cornell Medicine’s commitment to greater equity, diversity and inclusion in academic medicine and health care.
“The racial group you belong to, unfortunately, is a strong predictor of your mortality,” said Dr. LaVeist. “The rates have come down over the years, but the relative differences between populations have not changed. Why does this pattern persist? How do we intervene to stop this from happening?”