WELCOME MESSAGE from our Co-Presenting Sponsor Partner | 2022 Black Physicians Forum
Dear Colleagues,
Hendry Ton, M.D., M.S. Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (within ODEI) University of California, Davis Health
Welcome to the 12th Annual Black Physicians Forum. I want to start by thanking our partners from Sac Cultural Hub, whose leadership and vision makes this event possible. This year’s theme focuses on the intersection between race, aging, and care. I am delighted that Dr Jean Accius, the Senior Vice President of Global Thought Leadership at AARP International will kick us off with the keynote address, with Dr. Thomas Hopkins, the former chief medical correspondent for KCRA-3 and a medical internist himself. The COVID pandemic highlights longstanding inequities experienced by Black communities, including Black older adults who experienced greater rates of infection, hospitalization, and dying as a result of COVID. However, such inequities go far beyond COVID. A recent study by David Chae and colleagues found that Black people with greater accumulated experiences of racism experienced a faster rate of telomere shortening, pointing out that racism can literally accelerate aging. This underscores that racism is a pressing health and public health issue. Racism also impacts through its influence over such social determinants of health as socioeconomic status. Due to racist practices such as redlining that prevented home ownership and subsequently wealth building for many in minoritized communities, the wealth gap between white and Black communities is staggering—the median net worth of white households is $188K compared to $24K for Black families. Education and employment barriers further compound these inequities. These have significant implications on Black older adults and their family members seeking elder care services. At UC Davis, we are working to address these health inequities. Through our Anchor Institution Mission (AIM) for Community Health Initiative, we are using our economic leverage to support diverse businesses and employment for Sacramento’s most underserved communities with the ultimate goal of improving health. Our Family Caregiving Institute supports the well-being of diverse family caregivers through education and research, including examining caregiver stress experienced by Black families. We know that many of you are working hard to address such inequities as well. Thank you for joining us at this Forum as we deepen our commitment to the health of our diverse communities.
Hendry Ton, MD, MS Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Office for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (within ODEI) University of California, Davis Health 3
