This proposed R13 application will focus on Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, HIV/AIDS, Gastroenterology, Cardiology, Pulmonology, Nephrology, and Oncology subspecialty topics. The proposed title will be NMA 2019 Addressing Health Disparities and Health Equity Issues in Internal Medicine. We would engage early career investigators and trainees to generate awareness of health disparities and a focus on the quest of health equity in populations of need, when they attend our 2019 Annual Convention & Scientific Assembly, held at the Hawaii Convention Center, Honolulu HI, July 27 ? 31, 2019. The program will be utilized to enhance the development and training of young investigators who have an interest in academic medicine and research, with a demonstrated desire to address disparities in health care. NMA Internal Medicine (IM) Section steering committee members and senior faculty will be available to network with and serve as mentors to the early career investigators. We allow all our award recipients to present their posters during the NMA General Poster Presentation session. This enables our early career investigators to be exposed to and interact with a broader audience of physicians beyond the internal medicine specialty such as, family medicine, emergency medicine, OB/GYN etc. Additionally, the highest scored abstracts will be invited to present their research in the form of a brief oral presentation within the appropriate subspecialty section during the IM sessions. There are five objectives to this conference session: (1) Provide a forum for cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas to further explore issues of health disparities and health equity; (2) Foster opportunities for early stage minority faculty and trainees to network and learn about current research in the internal medicine specialty; (3) Promote opportunities for all early stage faculty and trainees to present their research findings during the general NMA poster session and our general IM Session meeting; and integrate the top recipients of the abstract submissions as oral abstract presentations within the appropriate Internal Medicine specialty presentations; (4) Promote opportunities for trainees to buttress this academic experience by allowing them to attend an array of NMA general Scientific Section symposia during the entire NMA Convention period; (5) Promote opportunities for early stage faculty and trainee investigators to interact with more senior investigators working in the internal medicine specialties to enable them the opportunity to establish professional relationships that will provide early career guidance and for those interested ?groom? them for future leadership in the NMA.
This program is designed to foster the research pipeline of underrepresented trainees and early career investigators examining the barriers and root causes behind health disparities through mentorship and through the opportunity to participate in a national scientific conference focused on these issues. The results of increased health disparities/health determinants research -- particularly among underrepresented communities -- may ultimately lead to improved population and community health, which is safer, more accessible, affordable, and equitable.
