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Culture, Ethnicity & Health Care SIG

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SIG Description

Continuing the tradition of its founders, the focus of our SIG is on research, education, and policy/advocacy about cultural issues (including race/ethnicity and linguistic issues), and how these issues impact children's health and healthcare.

Mission/Goals

Bring together pediatricians from across the country and create a community of people with shared interests in culture, ethnicity, and healthcare.
Define a set of urgent priorities and unanswered questions regarding cultural, ethnic, and linguistic issues in children's health and healthcare
Identify potential projects for the group to work on together focusing on cultural/linguistic issues in the areas of research, education, and policy/advocacy

June 2013 Newsletter Article

At the PAS meeting in Washington, DC this year we had our first ever combined meeting of the Culture, Ethnicity and Healthcare SIG and the Women in Medicine SIG. The session consisted of a panel of distinguished speakers who focused on the interaction of gender and race/ethnicity and how these have influenced their career development, teaching, research, and leadership experiences.

Our panelists (pictured from top left) were Dr. Valerie Maholmes, Acting Chief of the Pediatric Trauma and Critical Illness Branch and Program Officer for the Child and Family Processes/Child Maltreatment and Violence Research Program in the Child Development and Behavior Branch at NICHD, Dr. Elena Fuentes-Afflick, Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics and Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Dr. Tumaini Coker, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Dr. Rita Mangione-Smith, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Director of the Outcomes Assessment Program at Seattle Children's Hospital, Dr. Iris Mabry-Hernandez, Project Officer for pediatric research grants and contracts at the Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Dr. Raquel G. Hernandez, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The interactive discussion consisted of questions about how issues of gender, culture, and race/ethnicity have augmented and detracted from panelists' careers, how to obtain and provide mentoring, and how to continue to advance opportunities for success for women and underrepresented minorities. We were also fortunate to have an outstanding presentation from Drs. Maria Marquez and Brooke Schuster on a cultural competency curriculum for 3^rd year medical students.

Finally, the Co-chairs of the Culture, Ethnicity and Healthcare SIG announced a transition in leadership. Dr. Darcy Thompson was elected to the APA Board as the Chair of New Century Scholars and Special Interest Groups and stepped down from her position as SIG Co-chair. Dr. John Cowden, Medical Director of the Office of Equity and Diversity at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, has joined Dr. Shetgiri as Co-chair of the Culture, Ethnicity and Healthcare SIG. Congratulations to Dr. Thompson and Dr. Cowden on their new positions!

Culture, Ethnicity & Health Care SIG Co-Chairs:
John Cowden
jdcowden@cmh.edu

Rashmi Shetgiri
rashmi.shetgiri@utsouthwestern.edu

Women in Medicine SIG Chair:
Carol Berkowitz
cberkowitz52@gmail.com