National Minority Health Month

Downstate College of Medicine Fourth Year Student Akya Myrie published editorial in the New York Daily News on the importance of diversifying New York’s Physician Workforce:

Spend a little on diversifying NYS doctors, reap big health rewards.

March 30th, 2021 | By Akya Myrie

 

Marlene Camacho-Rivera, SCD, MS, MPH, Assistant Dean for Student Engagement and Success and Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Engagement and Success for the School of Public Health in February 2021. Dr. Camacho-Rivera’s research focuses on designing community-engaged interventions to reduce chronic disease disparities in urban and racial and ethnic minority communities. Dr. Camacho Rivera was recently awarded a SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program seed grant to conduct research on barriers to COVID-19 vaccination among high risk groups.

Camille A. Clare, M.D., MPH, was appointed Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, effective January 2021, and is leading Downstate’s efforts to improve access to key services for women and underserved populations in Brooklyn. Dr. Clare is a sought-after speaker for her expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially in obstetrics and gynecology and on national issue of addressing disparities in maternal healthcare and morbidity.

David Kaufman, Ph.D., FACMI, Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Health Professions, was awarded a grant of $895000 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to fund research on “Evaluating and Enhancing Health Informatics Technology for COVID-19 Response Workflow in a Specialized COVID-19 Hospital in a Medically Underserved Community.

W. Marcus Lambert, Ph.D., officially started April 1^st as the Associate Vice President for Research Strategy and Operations. He is a nationally sought-after speaker on diversity in the scientific workforce and is contact PI on an NIH-funded initiative to increase the number of Ph.D. students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Wren Lester, Ph.D., Chief Experience Officer and Director of Patent Relations, was selected to join Press Ganey’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Client Advisory Council, reflecting her key role in driving these elements at University Hospital at Downstate, and insuring that patients receive compassionate, culturally sensitive care.

Seah H. Lim, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, FACP, was appointed Division Chief of Hematology and Oncology at University Hospital at Downstate, effective August 3, 2020, and is helping to grow Downstate’s cancer care mission, including its precision cancer medicine program, which is critical to addressing cancer disparities in Brooklyn communities. He is also an expert in sickle cell, another disease that disproportionately affects our communities.

Brian K. McNeil, M.D., MBA, FACS, was appointed Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs in the College of Medicine in August 2020. Dr. McNeil, who as Urology Chief at UHD has worked to improve access to health care to vulnerable populations focusing on urologic care in medically underserved communities, now working to more broadly level the playing field by insuring that new generations of physicians are attuned to the need to serve underserved communities, especially in areas of concentrated poverty.

Downstate President Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MPH, MBA, MACP, was appointed by Governor Cuomo to New York State’s Vaccine Equity Task Force in December 2020. The Task Force’s focus is to ensure thqt vulnerable and underserved communities are part of the stte’s vaccination program and enurse equitable distribution statewide.

Jameela J. Yuseff, M.D., MPH, MSHCDL, FACP, has been appointed Chief Medical Officer of Downstate’s University Hospital at Downstate, effective April 1^st. A descendant of Guyanese immigrants who is strongly connected to the Central Brooklyn community, Dr. Yuseff is the first woman to hold this position in UHD’s history. Her vision includes addressing longstanding health disparities and advancing a culture of quality and safety.

Camille A. Clare, M.D., MPH, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, moderated “Beyond Tuskegee: COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and Equity” a panel for physicians and the community on March 30^th, sponsored by the Provident Clinical Society, a local affiliate of the National Medical Association.

Allen Lewis, Ph.D., CRC, Dean and Professor of the School of Health Professions, launched “The SOHP’s Dean’s Lecture Series on Culture,” with the goal of improving health outcomes within the culturally diverse and vulnerable populations that Downstate serves.

Christina Pardo, M.D., MPH, Assistant Professor and Director of Health Equity in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, who has been a leading campus voice in the fight for racial equity in maternal health, received an Honor and Merit award from the Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti for her support and well being of the Haitian community on March 8^th. Last year, Dr. Pardo was featured by PIX 11 News in its spotlight on “Birthing While Black.”

Moro Salifu, M.D., MBA, MPH, MACP, Professor and Chair of Medicine, delivered the keynote at the 31^st Annual Symposium of the Greater New York Hospital Association, presenting on ghe COVID-19 response and how the epidemic has affected minority populations.

Teresa Smith, M.D., Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Affiliations and Designated Institutional Official participated in a podcast with the Greater New York Hospital Association to share the GME perspective during the pandemic.

The School of Public Health hosted “COVID-19 Risk and Health Equity: Public Health Perspectives from Brooklyn,” on April 6^th, to discuss the evolving community experience in the COVID-19 era. The discussion was moderated by Lori Hoepner, Dr. PH, MPH, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, and W. Marcus Lambert, Ph.D., Associate VP of Research Strategy and Operations.

Downstate’s Sixth Annual Cancer Health Disparities Symposium on March 5^th addressed the roles healthcare providers, scientists and community groups can play in mitigating the cancer health disparities in communities of color.

The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health recognized Dr. Anthony Fauci for his leadership on COVID-19 and posthumously honored James A. Mahoney, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, who put his life on the line to join other first responders in providing critical care to our most vulnerable patient communities during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, during its annual gala on October 14^th.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine, in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, relaunched its Maternal Care Services at two sites: the Family Practice site in Suite B, and the Family Health Services at 840 Lefferts Avenue to help bridge disparities gaps in prenatal care.

Downstate’s Special Treatment and Researh (STAR) Program launched the #FasterThan campaign, a new marketing campaign to raise awareness about the hepatitis C virus, to promote testing for this illness.

President’s Multidisciplinary Investigator Seminar (PREMIS) Series: “A Conversation with Dr. David Satcher: Notes on Learning While Leading,” was held on December 9, 2020.

"A Conversation with Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law” was held on October 22, 2020

Research Day is an annual event sponsored by the School of Graduate Studies. This year it will be held virtually. Of the 300 plus presentations, quite a few focus on minority health, disparities, and equity, as detailed below, and encompass a broad range of Downstate Schools, Colleges, Departments, and programs.