The New York Academy of Medicine: Initiatives: Office of Health Disparities

Office of Health Disparities

The Office of Health Disparities is concerned with eliminating racial, ethnic, cultural, social, economic and linguistic health disparities, particularly in East and Central Harlem. The Office provides leadership in developing, implementing, evaluating and sustaining health disparities research. It is working to develop and disseminate culturally sensitive and relevant health information to low-income African American and Latino community members. The Office is also working to expand community outreach, and to develop educationally comprehensive research training and mentorship of students from all educational levels, from elementary school through medical school.

The Office was established in 2004 with the recognition that health disparities are a glaring problem in New York City and nationwide. In Central Harlem, 35 percent of the predominantly African-American community members live in poverty. In East Harlem, with a predominance of Latinos, 39 percent of residents live in poverty. Lower socioeconomic status often results in inadequate housing, poor nutrition, worse social envirionments and working conditions, poor access to or limited contact with the health care system, and fewer social amenities that directly or indirectly influence health. Socioeconomic status is inversely related to mortality and morbidity of chronic diseases such as sthma, hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease. The impact of lower socioeconomic status on morbidity and mortality is especially pronounced among African-Americans and Latinos.

The Office is particularly focused on reducing health disparities for the diseases that impose the highest burden on disadvantaged communities: cardiovascular disease (coronary disease, hypertension and stroke), diabetes and obesity.