What's going on?: Public health challenges and solutions for improving the health of black men

Background. This presentation is part of a larger panel session organized by the Black Young Professionals' Public Health Network (the NETWORK). The NETWORK is an organization established to enhance career networking opportunities and scholarly exchange among African American public health students and professionals at APHA and in the public health field. The stronghold of the NETWORK's APHA Program is the informative panel session on the professional development of persons of color in the public health field.

Methods. Panelists will describe the current health status of black men in the US, based on their respective areas of expertise, and identify contextual factors that function in the maintenance of racial and ethnic disparities. Additionally, they will share lessons learned from past health disparities work in these areas and what young, black men in the public health field can do to help eliminate these disparities.

Results. The invited panelist is a seasoned expert in the medical and public health fields whose research focuses on the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease and its pre-cursors. He will present research findings from several studies on the subject including clinical trials conducted for the purpose of identifying optimal treatment therapies for black men with hypertension and community-based screening and intervention programs. Based on the results of past and current research, the invited panelist will describe the burden of cardiovascular disease on African-American males, identify problems with race-specific guidelines for hypertension and heart disease treatment, and demonstrate how unconventional community institutions can serve as sites for health promotion and intervention programs.

Conclusions. The invited panelist will contribute to this panel: 1) scientific evidence describing the extent and impact of hypertension and cardiovascular disease on black males in the US; 2) the importance of black male participation in clinical trials of hypertension and heart disease; and 3) inequalities in the care and treatment of hypertension and heart disease in this population.