Early modern societies in Latin America and Spain saw a convergence of traditional medical knowledge and the professionalization of medicine. The resulting differences in access to care endure today.
A cancer diagnosis is serious, but immediately starting treatment sometimes isn’t the best course of action.
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People with low-risk prostate cancer are more likely to die from something else. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment can lead to life-changing complications.
Medicine is as much about the human experience as it is about biology.
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While medical school may teach students about how the body works, it often neglects the social, political and cultural factors that determine health and disease. The humanities can help.
Access to life-saving HIV prevention medications varies by race and other sociodemographic factors.
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Two-thirds of new HIV infections are among gay and bisexual men. Although cases have decreased among white men, they have stagnated among communities of color.
Many patients with less aggressive prostate cancer elect active surveillance instead of treatment.
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Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men. Although watchful waiting is appropriate for low-risk cases, many are diagnosed at an advanced stage because of racial health disparities.
House Democrats join an abortion-rights protest on July 19, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
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Even with laws to protect a woman’s right to have an abortion, Black women found it hard to find access to reproductive health care. It’s only gotten worse since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
An increasing number of health care decisions rely on information from algorithms.
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Biased algorithms in health care can lead to inaccurate diagnoses and delayed treatment. Deciding which variables to include to achieve fair health outcomes depends on how you approach fairness.
The stress of experiencing high levels of community violence harms entire families.
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Chronic stress from living with systemic racism and gun violence can lead to increased symptoms of PTSD and depression as well as elevated cortisol levels.
Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
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The term ‘MSM’ allows public health interventions to gloss over the social, political and cultural complexities of identity. But it’s not without its limitations.
PrEP is almost 100% effective in preventing HIV infection when taken as directed.
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Judge Reed O'Connor ruled in a case that coverage for HIV prevention medicine PrEP violated the religious freedom of the plaintiffs. It is unclear whether the order will extend nationwide.
Creating a safe space for patients to ask questions and provide fully informed consent could help increase clinical trial recruitment.
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Overcoming the access barriers and biases that underrepresented and underserved communities face could not only improve research participation but also improve care.
The FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017 designated a new class of OTC hearing aids.
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OTC hearing aids promise to increase the accessibility and affordability of the devices for millions of adults who live with untreated mild to moderate hearing loss.
There is very little evidence that sunscreen reduces melanoma in dark-skinned people.
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While sunscreen has the potential to reduce skin cancer for light-skinned people, it has never been shown to do the same for Black people. Yet that distinction is lacking in public health messaging.
Black patients are more likely than other racial and ethnic groups to have a biopsy delay of 90 days or more after an abnormal mammogram.
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Early detection of breast cancer is critical to improving chances of survival. But racial and ethnic minority patients systematically have delayed diagnoses that reduce the benefits of screening.
Transgender people of color face more than their share of discrimination and violence.
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Being both trans and a person of color comes with a unique set of challenges. Collectively working toward overcoming these barriers is one way this community fights for survival.
Removing ultrasound and pelvic exam requirements for medication abortion could help expand access to care.
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During the pandemic, health care providers began prescribing abortion pills without requiring in-person exams. This practice could help people access the care they need when abortion rights are in limbo.
Visiting Assistant Professor of Community and Public Health; Executive Director, Southeast Idaho Area Health Education Center, Institute of Rural Health, Idaho State University, Idaho State University