Research

Medical Management of Gender Diversity

Corinne S. Heinen, MD

This article provides context on the experiences and medical care of individuals who experience gender dysphoria for the benefit of oral and maxillofacial surgeons. The mechanism of action, effects, and side effects of medical therapies used for gender-affirming care are reviewed. Specific guidance for anesthetic care is given. Trauma-informed tools for care of transgender and gender-diverse patients are offered.

Read the article here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1042369923000997?via%3Dihub

Multi-colored silhouette of a diverse group of people

Improving Vaccine Equity: How Community Engagement and Informatics Facilitate Health System Outreach to Underrepresented Groups

This paper reports on the positive impact of COVID-19 vaccine equity outreach strategies deployed at UW Medicine in 2021. Strategic outreach to people from underrepresented groups via mobile vans, pop-up clinics, vulnerable population clinics, and automated scheduling improved the reach of vaccination over traditional scheduling. Strong community partnerships were a key ingredient of success!

This retrospective analysis was a collaboration between biomedical informatics researchers (Xie, Hartzler) and operational leaders in UW Medicine (Mah, Ruud, Chew, Lowery, Hernandez). We wish to thank Martine Pierre-Louis, Tricia Madden, Jenny Brackett, Nicholas Postiglione, Naomi Matana Shike, 10 CBOs, and countless other UW Medicine and community stakeholders in this effort.

Read the article here:
https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0044-1779258

Healthcare Worker wearing a mask and holding a syringe

A qualitative study of microaggressions against African Americans on predominantly White campuses

Monnica T. Williams, Matthew D. Skinta, Jonathan W. Kanter, Renée Martin-Willett, Judy Mier-Chairez, Marlena Debreaux & Daniel C. Rosen

From BMC Psycology: Improving our understanding of microaggressions as they impact people of color may better allow for improved understanding and measurement of this important construct. Read the full article here.

https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-020-00472-8

Reducing microaggressions and promoting interracial connection: The racial harmony workshop

Monnica T. Williams, Jonathan W. Kanter, Adriana Peña, Terence H.W. Ching, & Linda Oshin

From Science Direct: Research has demonstrated a connection between microaggressions and decreased mental health across racial and ethnic groups. We reported an intervention, the Racial Harmony Workshop (RHW), to reduce racial biases and microaggressions and promote interracial connection among college students. Read the full article here.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212144719303382?casa_token=5GwBK6daCV8AAAAA:FkS3FjoOdG18PJ0XOTESQ84qD7695XLn-OVP_XixcmUc50x25iMDvfM0WuEsKLmzCDruvK8DGJM

The Measurement and Structure of Microaggressive Communications by White People Against Black People

Jonathan W. Kanter, Monnica T. Williams, Adam M. Kuczynski, Mariah D. Corey, Ryan M. Parigoris, Cathea M. Carey, Katherine E. Manbeck, Elliot C. Wallace & Daniel C. Rosen

From Springer: Previous research on microaggressions has emphasized the frequency of and distress produced by microaggressions as reported by people of color. The current research supplements the existing literature by developing a self-report measure of White individuals’ microaggressive likelihood against Black people. Read the full abstract here.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12552-020-09298-w

Addressing microaggressions in racially charged patient-provider interactions: a pilot randomized trial

Jonathan W. Kanter, Daniel C. Rosen, Katherine E. Manbeck, Heather M. L. Branstetter, Adam M. Kuczynski, Mariah D. Corey, Daniel W. M. Maitland & Monnica T. Williams

From BMC Medical Education: Racial bias in medical care is a significant public health issue, with increased focus on microaggressions and the quality of patient-provider interactions. Innovations in training interventions are needed to decrease microaggressions and improve provider communication and rapport with patients of color during medical encounters. Read the full article here.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12909-020-02004-9

Examining the Primary Care Experiences of Refugee Communities

Washington state and King County continue to be top resettlement destinations for refugees in the United States; however, newly arrived refugees experience many challenges and barriers when accessing health services after resettlement.

Taylor N. Erickson, MPH

Read the summary: Examining the Primary Care Experiences of Refugee Communities in King County:
Recommendations for EthnoMed’s Primary Care Provider Toolkit – EthnoMed  

Read the full report: Microsoft Word – Examining the Primary Care Experiences of Refugee Communities in King County.docx (ethnomed.org) 

Pills spilled onto a blue background from an orage pill bottle.

A Rubric to Center Equity in Obstetrics and Gynecology Research

The Steering Committee for the Obstetrics & Gynecology special edition titled “Racism in Reproductive Health: Lighting a Path to Health Equity” formed a working group to create an equity rubric. The goal was to provide a tool to help researchers systematically center health equity as they conceptualize, design, analyze, interpret, and evaluate research in obstetrics and gynecology. This commentary reviews the rationale, iterative process, and literature guiding the creation of the equity rubric.

Batman, Samantha MD, MPH; Rivlin, Katherine MD; Robinson, Whitney PhD; Brown, Oluwateniola MD; Carter, Ebony B. MD, MPH; Lindo, Edwin JD. A Rubric to Center Equity in Obstetrics and Gynecology Research. Obstetrics & Gynecology 142(4):p 772-778, October 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005336

Read the article here: https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/fulltext/2023/10000/a_rubric_to_center_equity_in_obstetrics_and.4.aspx

Endometrial Cancer and Reproductive Justice

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. Black individuals with EC have had a more than 90% higher 5-year mortality risk than White people while being subject to lower quality care across the entire disease process. In this commentary, I offer the perspective that EC is part of the reproductive justice movement, as a representation of threat to reproductive health independent of childbearing. With this work, I want to place EC squarely among the discursive arguments that reproductive justice makes in the interconnectedness of fertility, reproductive health, parenthood, and, ultimately, life.

Doll, Kemi M. MD, MSCR. Endometrial Cancer and Reproductive Justice. Obstetrics & Gynecology 142(3):p 477-480, September 2023. | DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005305

Read the article here: https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/abstract/2023/09000/endometrial_cancer_and_reproductive_justice.6.aspx

On Racism: A New Standard For Publishing On Racial Health Inequities

Rhea W Boyd, Edwin G Lindo, Lachelle D Weeks, Monica R McLemore

From Health Affairs Forefront: …despite racism’s alarming impact on health and the wealth of scholarship that outlines its ill effects, preeminent scholars and the journals that publish them routinely fail to interrogate racism as a critical driver of racial health inequities. As a consequence, the bar to publish on racial health inequities has become exceedingly low. Read the full article here.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/racism-new-standard-publishing-racial-health-inequities