Keypoint Newsletter: Health Equity Recap

By Shannon Weiman

In 2023 we launched a new initiative to add health equity programming to select meetings to raise awareness for health disparities in various fields and initiate discussions on how to rectify these health inequities through scientific research and discovery. These messages are of critical importance to the global research community, so we are releasing the audio recordings of these Health Equity Forums open access, to inform broader audiences about these issues and inspire them to take action. Listen to the audio recording below from our Cardiometabolic Diseases conference last season!

In addition, this year our Fellows Friday program featured Dr. Geoff Ginsburg, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer of the NIH "All of Us" Research Program (and member of our esteemed Scientific Advisory Board), who spoke to the Fellows about the program's aims, progress and future plans in terms of addressing issues of health disparities in research. He also outlined valuable open access resources that the initiative has developed for the research community to enable more equitable research practices. Given the importance of broadly disseminating these tools to the entire community in order to implement change and create a more equitable research landscape for all of us, we are sharing this presentation with all of you!  Watch the video below.

See All of Keystone Symposia Health Equity Content on Our YouTube Channel!

http://keysym.us/KSHealthEquity

*Audio Recording Only

This Health Equity Panel Discussion explored the most pressing equity challenges in at the intersection of genomic science with obesity and cardiometabolic disease research, including systemic racism, weight stigmatization, inadequate access to care, as well as research career inequities (conference travel/funding, funding schemes, professional support).  Speakers highlighted impacts of environmental diversity within and between populations, for example epigenetic drivers of cardiometabolic diseases in South Asians, and discussed strategies to ensure precision medicines are efficacious and safe across diverse ethnicities. In addition, the group discussed issues of accessibility and the importance of bidirectional communication with under-represented populations regarding use of health data and impacts of sociocultural differences on adoption of medical advances.  Featuring:

• • Kaja Wasik, Variant Bio
  • Peter Shepherd, University of Auckland
  • Moneeza Siddiqui, Queen Mary University of London
  • Shivani Misra, Imperial College London
  • Moffat Nyirenda, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Global Inequalities in Healthcare and Research in MASLD and MASH: Where Are We Now?

This Health Equity panel discussion brought together academics, industry professionals, and clinicians to tackle health disparities in MASH. The dialogue centered on leveraging scientific research and drug discovery to forge strategies mitigating global inequalities affecting the MASLD and MASH burden. A key focus was on the influence of ethnic and sex diversity on MASLD's prevalence, progression, and outcomes. The discussion also highlighted the necessity of generating precise health data that reflects the entire population, acknowledging the variations in disease manifestation, treatment efficacy, and side effects across sex and ethnicities. The goal was to enhance health outcomes and ensuring the efficacy and safety of medical treatments for all, irrespective of gender or ethnicity. Featuring:

• • Stefano Romeo, University of Gothenburg
  • Silvia Sookoian, CONICET. Universidad Maimonides
  • Manal Abdelmalek, Mayo Clinic
  • Alina Allen, Mayo Clinic
  • Luca Lotta, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.
  • Gregory Tesz, Pfizer

*Audio recording not approved for release by all panelists due to protection of sensitive unpublished data.

Geoff Ginsburg: NIH "All of Us" Initiative

In this presentation to the Keystone Symposia Fellows, Dr. Geoff Ginsburg first outlines his career path, and how he has navigated the evolving biomedical research landscape to get to where he is today spearheading the national research effort to enhance equity and inclusivity in medical research.  Then he outlines the mission, plans and progress of the NIH "All of Us" Research Program, and describes tools they have developed to facilitate science that inherently incorporates diversity into research studies.  His insights provide the next generation with guidance, hope and tools for a more equitable future.

See 2023 Health Equity Programming Content:

Return to the September 2024 Keypoint Newsletter