Diversity

Health Disparities Committee

Mission

The mission of the committee is to strengthen the scientific foundation of research, clinical practice, and policy development aimed at eliminating health disparities. To this end, our goal is to disseminate information about the state-of-the-science concerning biopsychosocial factors that contribute to health disparities. The intended audience includes our scientific and clinical colleagues, other health care providers, policy makers and the public at large.

We will examine issues related to a range of disparities, with a special emphasis on those that emerge as a function of socioeconomic status (SES) and race. The “first generation” of studies documented disparities. We will highlight the current developments in the field, presenting data from the many subdisciplines that comprise psychological science. This “second generation” of studies investigates the ways in which larger social forces, such as SES or race, affect biological, cognitive, affective and interpersonal processes that determine health status or influence treatment outcomes. Studies of these biopsychosocial processes can provide knowledge to guide clinical training and practice as well as policy development. Comprehensive information on the relationship of Racism and Socioeconomic Status to Health can be found here.

We hope to accomplish these goals via the continued development of the website for the committee. A section of the website will be devoted to highlighting the work of investigators addressing these issues. We will have a section for senior and junior investigators, highlighting new research questions, methods, and findings, and identifying directions for future research. We will have a section for the rising stars, graduate students and fellows who are the future of the area. As we post new information we will send out special alerts to our audience.
Click here for the latest on health disparities.

Chair: Elizabeth Brondolo, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Jamaica, NY 11439
Phone: (718) 990-6496
Brondole@stjohns.edu

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