UCSF to Host Third Annual Health Disparities Research Symposium

Barbara Gerbert

The campus community is encouraged to save the date to attend Health Disparities Research Symposium III at UCSF, on Friday, Oct. 23.

UCSF has a multitude of researchers with national and international reputations in disparities research and this symposium will provide a forum for them to showcase the breadth and depth of their work to their colleagues.

“The goal is to build community among disparities researchers from many disciplines and across units, schools and campus sites,” says Barbara Gerbert, PhD, professor and chair of the Division of Behavioral Sciences, Professionalism and Ethics in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences at the UCSF School of Dentistry. “We would like to gather together all the amazing and outstanding disparities research in order to showcase this fine work and inspire future generations.”

The symposium will run from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Laurel Heights Conference Center, located at sub-level one in the building at 3333 California Street. Food and drinks will be provided.

The symposium will be a featured presentation during UCSF’s Annual Diversity Celebration, a series of special campuswide events honoring diversity in all its forms. A video of last year’s health disparities symposium is featured on the Diversity website.

Disparities refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The definition of health disparities includes differences in the presence of disease, health outcomes, and quality of and/or access to health care.

Serving the local, national and global communities and eliminating health disparities is part of the vision outlined in the UCSF Strategic Plan, released in June 2007. The plan specifically calls on the University to “lead efforts to eliminate health disparities by leveraging UCSF’s research expertise, modeling best practices in clinical care and integrating content on health disparities throughout the continuum of learning.”

Abstracts can be submitted for work that has been presented elsewhere or submitted to a journal for publication, but not work that has already been published in a peer-reviewed journal. The due date for submitting abstracts to Karen Newhouse is Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009 at 5 p.m. 

A committee will review the abstracts and those with the highest scores will be selected to present during the half-day oral presentations.

Given the initial level of interest regarding this event and to help the symposium organizers plan, they are requesting an RSVP. Please RSVP via email. Space is limited.

For more information, please contact the symposium organizers, Eliseo Perez-Stable, Victor Y. Fujimoto or Barbara Gerbert.

Related Links:

UCSF Offers Insight into Health Care Disparities Research
Diversity website, Dec. 16, 2008

UCSF Strategic Plan website