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Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D. |
The chlamydia rate is nearly 70 percent higher than the United States average and the gonorrhea rate is nearly 50 percent higher.
Clearly, there is a communitywide epidemic among teens and young adults. The hardest hit populations are poor, underserved, racial/ethnic minorities and urban residents.
That is why UNMC’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities in the College of Public Health and the Office of Student Equity and Multicultural Affairs will sponsor the visit from a national STD expert on April 22. The event is part of National Minority Health Awareness Month.
Mindy Thompson Fullilove, M.D., a research psychiatrist at New York State Psychiatric Institute, will be the keynote speaker at a grand rounds presentation in the College of Public Health.
Dr. Fullilove is widely known for her research about the AIDS epidemic in the African-American community and for her book, “Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It.”
Dr. Fullilove will spend two days in the Omaha area visiting with community organizations that provide care for underserved patient populations. The title of her address to the medical center community is, “Root Shock and Health Disparities: A Biopsychosocial Model.”
“Our center, along with our community partners, is focused on the problem of STDs in Douglas County,” said Shireen Rajaram, Ph.D., interim director for UNMC’s Center for Reducing Health Disparities in the College of Public Health. “Yet, the high statistics of STDs are just one example of city-wide health disparities. We see it in housing, education and access to health care.
“Our center is uniquely situated to bring academic and community partners together to improve overall health outcomes.”