On February 4, Ebony Boulware, MD, Director of Duke CTSI, presented as part of the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) Director’s Seminar Series. Dr. Boulware's virtual presentation, “Where the Cloud Meets the Ground: Democratizing Health Data to Improve Community Health Equity,” focused on how access to health data can impact community health.
THe NIMHD DIrector’s Seminar Series highlights novel research discoveries by prominent researchers who are advancing the science of minority health and health disparities. Dr. Boulware highlighted how in many cases, poor health outcomes tend to aggregate irregularly, even when there are therapies, as with medical conditions like hypertension.
Factors that can fuel inequity include patient preferences, affordability and access to care, and the dissemination of health data and evidence-based practice. Additionally, understanding local community factors can paint a better picture of a specific community’s health inequity.
“In order to understand what’s affecting health in a local community,” Dr. Boulware said, “you need to understand local policies and local structures.”
Dr. Boulware believes that the democratization of health data can have a significant impact on local communities where irregularities exist.
“The power of having data on health in hands of other stakeholders is really important as we seek to translate what we’re learning about in healthcare into community health,” she said.