The case for diversity in healthcare professions is strong. Research shows that a diverse healthcare workforce improves health outcomes, particularly for patients of color, and also increases people’s access to care and their perception of the care they receive.

Physicians of color are more likely to build careers in underserved communities, which can contribute even more toward the goal of reducing healthcare disparities.

So, what does it take to cultivate a strong and diverse health care workforce? On this week’s episode, we gain insights from two knowledgeable guests, who spoke with Dr. Hadiya Green at Movement Is Life’s annual summit:

• Dr. Cheryl Brewster, Senior Executive Dean for Access, Opportunity, and Collaboration and a Professor in the Department of Bioethics, Humanism, and Policy Roseman University College of Medicine
• Dr. Jarrod Lockhart, formerly an instructor at Morehouse School of Medicine, now Assistant Vice Provost, Education Outreach & Collaboration at Oregon Health & Science University

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Poverty is a key driver of health disparities. But numerous policies have been shown to help alleviate poverty and improve health equity, according to Dr. Rita Hamad, associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Hamad says policymakers need to look upstream and identify the root causes of health issues.

“And really recognizing that poverty is one of the major root causes of those issues, and that if we don't address that… those health issues are just going to keep arising and not getting any better,” she says.

On this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Hamad speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Charla Johnson about evidence-based policies for alleviating poverty — like the child tax credit, earned income tax credit — and explains how healthcare systems can get more involved in bolstering the social safety net.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A diverse healthcare workforce is critical to improving outcomes for our diverse nation.

In order to achieve this, there needs to be both a pipeline and a pathway, says Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine.

“We need students to believe what’s possible in first grade and then chart a path,” she says.

Montgomery Rice says her own love and science and people led her to chart her career pathway that led her into academic medicine. “What if everybody was given that opportunity. What if everybody was told you can be whatever you want to be?”

“Every one of my roles has been about how to develop people to bring their best self to work,” she says.

Although health equity work can be polarized and be perceived as political, Montgomery Rice says Morehouse School of Medicine is committed to leading the creation and advancement of health equity — both through new solutions and through complementing existing ones.

The heart of her message on health equity: It’s about “giving people what they need, when they need it, to achieve optimal level of health.”

Montgomery Rice spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Carla Harwell for this episode, which was recorded at Movement Is Life’s annual health equity summit.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.