STEM Tea | Championing health equity for underserved communities

In this episode of STEM Tea, host AJ Hinton is joined by Ricardo Correa (left), an endocrinologist and the Director of Diversity in Graduate Medical Education at the University of Arizona College of Medicine (AZ, USA). After becoming a doctor in Panama and relocating to the USA to focus on research, Ricardo discovered a passion for health equity and decided to focus on helping underserved communities.

Here, Ricardo discusses his journey into medicine and academia, the network of mentors he built along the way and how to increase minority representation in medical school. Ricardo also explains the concept of health disparities and talks about some of the projects he’s involved in, including collecting data for neglected transgender populations and addressing vaccination disparities in minority communities.

Contents

• Introductions: 00:00­–01:10
• Ricardo’s journey into medicine and academia: 01:10–04:20
• Focusing on health equity: 04:20–05:49
• Defining health disparities and providing interventions for communities: 05:49–10:32
• Ricardo’s role models and mentors: 10:32–15:50
• Getting money for interventions: 15:50–20:17
• Affirmative action and getting minorities into medical school: 20:17–24:08
• Medical school application tips: 24:08–30:56
• Choosing the right medical school: 30:56–34:14
• Gathering health data for transgender populations: 34:14–37:25
• Ricardo’s work on adrenal glands: 37:25–39:42
• Disparities and vaccination uptake: 39:42–42:39
• Discrimination in healthcare for LGBTQIA+ individuals: 42:39–47:00
• Balancing work and life: 47:00–48:50
• Picking and prioritizing opportunities: 48:50–52:48
• The importance of empathy: 52:48–54:20
• Finding career development opportunities: 54:20–56:53
• What are you drinking? 56:53–59:57