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NIH Summit Explores Science of Health Disparities

December 16 – 18, 2008 the National Institutes of Health hosted the largest national conference ever on health disparities at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, MD. This is the first summit of its kind. It involved all of the NIH Institutes and Centers and brought together more than 3000 national and international clinicians, researchers, policy leaders, academicians, and community leaders to highlight recent progress made in addressing health disparities, and to redefine the agenda for the health disparities research.

Advances in science, medicine, and technology offer the potential to improve health, but large segments of the population defined by race, ethnicity, geography, gender, or socio-economics are not deriving equal benefits from these advances. “Health disparities research is key in our quest to improve the health of all Americans,” said Raynard S. Kington, M.D., Ph.D., Acting Director, NIH. “This summit represents the multidisciplinary scientific progress that the NIH has made to understand health disparities, and underscores the significance of partnerships to eliminate this complex issue.”

Experts discussed strategies, challenges, and progress in diagnosing, treating, and preventing some of the most debilitating and devastating diseases and conditions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, obesity, heart disease, and diabetes that disproportionately burden African Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Hispanics/Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and individuals of all races and ethnicities living in poor and medically underserved communities such as rural areas.

The theme of this Summit was the intersection of science, practice, and policy. “The elimination of health disparities will require a wide spectrum of approaches, “ said John Ruffin, Ph.D., Director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, which is sponsoring the Summit. “Continual improvement and integration of different paradigms is fundamental in understanding and identifying real solutions to health disparities.”

The Summit highlighted many of the complex biological and non-biological factors that influence health outcomes. Sessions offered best practice models in research, training, career development, clinical intervention, community outreach, and policy, being applied in communities around the nation and in different countries. Summit participants also had the opportunity to dialogue on topics related to health disparities such as health care reform, social determinants of health, partnerships, community, media, policy, science, and clinical practice involvement in health disparities, to provide input into shaping an aggressive agenda to eliminate health disparities.  “Our strategy cannot be isolated or stagnant, it will take all of us working together to eliminate health disparities.” said Dr. Ruffin.

Summit Agenda

 

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