NEWS

Public health videoconference focuses on racial, ethnic health disparities

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Public Health will host its seventh annual Summer Public Health Research Videoconference on Minority Health from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. June 18-22.

Research indicates that blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Hawaiian Natives, Alaskan Natives, Pacific Islanders and some groups of Asian Americans tend to experience higher rates of illness and death than the general population.

"These disparities will persist unless researchers representing the various ethnic and cultural groups convene, devise and implement innovative methodologies and strategies for reducing and eliminating observed disparities," said Dr. Dorothy C. Browne, associate professor of maternal and child health in the UNC School of Public Health and principal investigator for the school's Minority Health Project, which sponsors the videoconference.

The videoconference will emphasize issues and solutions related to collecting and analyzing data for racial and ethnic populations, studying the relationship between race and socioeconomic status, identifying and reducing barriers to conducting research in diverse communities and improving the enumeration of populations through ethnographic research and community planning. These diverse topics will be featured throughout the week.

"As our society becomes increasingly diverse, there is tremendous need for researchers, practitioners and policy-makers who understand the cultures and life circumstances of the many communities that comprise our nation," said Dr. Bill Roper, dean of the UNC School of Public Health. "We know the disparities exist, and we are committed to erasing them. The difficult task then is figuring out how to do so."

Each day's dialogue will have a different focus, including: "Research in Diverse Communities: Towards the Elimination of Disparities," "Defining and Enumerating Diverse Populations: Conceptual

Issues and Ethnographic Approaches," "Issues for the 21st Century: Health Issues Confronting American Indians and Counting Ethnic Minorities," "Principles for Appropriate Academic Research Partnerships" and "Effective Community and University Partnerships for HIV/AIDS Research: What Works and Why?".

The keynote address will be given by Dr. Camara P. Jones at 3 p.m. June 18. Jones is the

research director on social determinants of health at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year the videoconference attracts researchers, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and public health professionals in universities, research organizations, government and community-based organizations. Each session includes time for participants to ask questions and join discussions via toll-free telephone, fax and e-mail.

The videoconference will originate from the school's Mayes Telecommunications Center, 231 Rosenau Hall, and is scheduled to be picked up live at more than 175 participating satellite sites in 45 states.

Participation is free but registration is required. Registration information and a list of videoconference sites are available at www.minority.unc.edu. Questions may be addressed to minority_health@unc.edu or by calling (919) 843-6758.

For those unable to get to a satellite site, www.kaisernetwork.org, a free service of the Kaiser Family Foundation, will provide a World Wide Webcast and archive two sessions of the videoconference, including the keynote address. Visit www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/minorityhealth/unc/jun01 to view the Webcast and related materials, including transcripts.

Co-sponsors of the videoconference include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention; the UNC School of Public Health dean's office and department of maternal and child health; the UNC Center for Health Statistics Research, which is housed in the School of Public Health; the National Institute of Drug Abuse; and the Glaxo Wellcome Foundation.

Committed to bettering the health of minorities, the UNC School of Public Health created the Minority Health Project in 1994 with funding from the National Center for Health Statistics at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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