Author: Joey Garcia | July 16, 2024 | 5 min read |
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The symposium is part of the larger IDEAS committee, a group focused on social justice and advocacy within the Miller School’s Department of Neurology.
The second annual Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Social Justice (IDEAS) Symposium, hosted by the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, highlighted the neurological health disparities endured by underserved communities.
The IDEAS symposium is part of the larger IDEAS committee, a group within the Department of Neurology that centers on social justice and advocacy. IDEAS is spearheaded by Teshamae Monteith, MD (Class of 2004), professor of clinical neurology and head of the headache division in the Miller School.
Continuing the conversation on diversity
Last year’s inaugural symposium established a forum for advancing diversity and equity in health care. This year’s symposium continues that mission and contributes to one of the department’s key initiatives: fostering an environment of inclusive excellence. The IDEAS Committee led both symposiums.
• Annely Bure-Reyes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience at the Miller School
• Erica Marulanda Londono, MD, MSc, assistant professor of clinical neurology in the Stroke Division and associate program director of the Neurology Residency Program
• Paige Karika, PhD, assistant professor of clinical neurology, pediatric neurology and headache medicine, Department of Pediatric Neurology, Miller School
“IDEAS is a formal venue to showcase scholarly efforts centered on issues of diversity in neurological care,” said Annely Bre-Reyes, PhD, assistant professor in the Miller School’s Department of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience. “Our symposium was designed to encourage researchers, practitioners, trainees, and advocates to share their research, experiences, and insights.”
Research on health disparities and underserved populations
The symposium’s keynote speaker was Jessica Chiarasi, MD, assistant professor of neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who discussed equity in headache treatment for underserved populations.
Representatives from the Department of Neurology exhibited and discussed research findings at the symposium, which included five oral presentations on health disparities in underserved communities and 13 poster sessions addressing sleep health in the Hispanic community, disparities in stroke care, and underrepresentation of minorities in research.
“Health disparities exist in all areas of healthcare, and our symposium aims to address this issue with comprehensive innovation,” said Dr. Bure Reyes. “This year, we incorporated rapid-fire presentations from members at all training levels to showcase their work in the IDEAS field. This approach covers all aspects of patient care and research, fostering a comprehensive understanding and collaborative efforts to reduce disparities and improve healthcare outcomes.”
Notable projects include:
• Jude Hassan Charles, MD, of the Department of Neurology’s Stroke Division, spoke about developing stroke awareness tools for the Haitian community.
• Taylor Peabody, MD, of the Department of Neurology and Movement Disorders, will speak about advance care planning and disparities in end-of-life care among underrepresented populations.
Both presentations highlighted important efforts to address health care disparities and offered innovative solutions to improve outcomes for underserved communities.
“Diverse populations have different needs, so DEI education/awareness raising helps us recognize these challenges,” said Dr. Marulanda Londono. “Overall, this awareness raising can improve patient outcomes and cultural competency and reduce health disparities. These efforts ultimately contribute to inclusive excellence in healthcare and allow our department to serve as a model for other institutions.”
For the 2025 symposium, the IDEAS committee hopes to have representation from all divisions within the Department of Neurology, with further plans to include more participants from related fields to continue to grow the audience and support interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as make the symposium available to other academic neurology departments via Zoom.
tag: Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Teshamei Monteith, Headache Medicine, Health Disparities, IDEAS Committee, Inclusion, Neurology, Stroke
