EDI News

More resources and health protections are critical to protect Hispanic communities – many filled with essential workers – during the ongoing pandemic, three Duke health experts said Wednesday.

These resources range from simple public health education targeting their communities to paid sick leave, health insurance and the ability to distance while on the job, the health experts said during a question-and-answer panel with media.

Here are excerpts from the conversation:

See all talks from Duke researchers and Durham community partners on the forum website.

In North Carolina, Hispanics and Blacks are contracting COVID-19 at disproportionate rates relative to their representation in the population, and Blacks are dying of COVID-19 at higher rates.

Even before the COVID-19 epidemic Latinx immigrants were a vulnerable population. Now, they are among those hardest hit, with a greater likelihood to have jobs that are insecure or increase their likelihood of exposure, and reduced access to health care or accurate information about how to protect themselves.

This past weekend, nearly 50 schools and more than 300 students from across the country gathered in St. Louis, MO, for the 15th Annual Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) National Conference under the theme, "Unidos for Medicina y Más: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Latinx Health." Dr. Margarita Bidegain, neonatologist and Duke Professor of Pediatrics; Dr.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s 2019 Michelle P. Winn Inclusive Excellence Award ceremony held in June honored faculty, staff, and trainees for their contributions to diversity and inclusion within the School of Medicine.

Chief Diversity Officer Judy Seidenstein opened the ceremony encouraging the audience to “speak the truth even if your voice shakes” on matters and issues, from LGBT+ equality to incorporating diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

After a national search, Johnna Frierson, PhD, has been named Assistant Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Diversity and Inclusion for the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Frierson will begin her appointment on July 1, 2019.

A. Eugene Washington, MD, Chancellor for Health Affairs, and President and Chief Executive Officer for Duke University Health System, received the prestigious University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medal in a ceremony held last week in California.

Duke's Teamwork and Diversity Awards are given every year to employees who champion the values of collaboration, cooperation and communication as a team or demonstrate respect and value for people of different backgrounds and points of view.

One of this year's Teamwork Awards went to the NIH Response Team, a group of staff and faculty members from the Duke University School of Medicine, Duke University School of Nursing and Duke University who developed and implemented improvements to processes Duke uses to manage grants from the National Institutes of Health.

In the 1950s, Kimberly Johnson’s maternal grandmother was diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer and ultimately lost her life to the disease. Since then, her family has always wondered whether the situation might have had a different outcome if her grandmother had had access to today’s health care.

“We talk about how things are different now, and if she’d lived today she might have lived longer and better, especially if she had good insurance and a good income,” says Johnson, MD, MHS, associate professor of medicine.

The Duke University School of Medicine’s faculty, staff, trainees, and students celebrated the year’s achievements in diversity and inclusion and honored exceptional achievements in the field with the Michelle P. Winn Award on Friday, June 15.