227295 Summit on Urban Health : Examining the role of medical schools in improving the health of underserved urban populations

Monday, November 8, 2010

Mark Fox, MD, PhD, MPH , School of Community Medicine, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK
Daniel Duffy, MD , School of Community Medicine, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK
Gerard Clancy, MD , School of Community Medicine, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK
With prospects for national health reform on the horizon, representatives from seven medical schools and several health-related organizations convened a Summit on Urban Health in November 2009. Each community represented struggles with health disparities, poor health status among its urban populations, dysfunctional health care delivery systems, and inadequate public funding to meet the needs of its target populations. The goal of the summit was to allow 1) Discussion of the challenges academic institutions face in providing medical education, research and clinical programs to urban underserved populations; 2) Exchange of experiences in efforts to improve the health of underserved urban populations through clinical service, research and medical education; and 3) Activation of a joint effort targeting innovation and policy development related to urban health as national health reform is implemented. The summit drew several conclusions. The participating institutions face common challenges and identify strategies for enhancing community-partnered research, health planning, and innovation. Urban Health is an emerging discipline which needs further refinement. The urban health workforce requires broader training in the determinants of health, including poverty, safety, nutrition, exercise and urban design. The participants share a uniting goal and agreed unanimously to work jointly in the design of model community-focused health systems which serve all members of the community and remain financially viable. These systems would ultimately provide the ideal environment for inter-professional education in integrated team-based care. The need for flexibility in educational accreditation standards to meet the demands of urban health disparities is identified.

Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify challenges facing academic health centers in attempting to improve the health of the urban underserved. Identify strategies for more effectively engaging populations impacted by health disparities Describe educational accreditation issues which negatively impact innovative strategies for improving the health of the urban underserved.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Urban Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present because I oversee our clinical service and educational programs targetting underserved urban populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.