His UMKC appearance kicks off collaborative effort among Missouri medical schools
Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Louis W. Sullivan is fighting for better health for all Americans.
Sullivan, M.D., was the keynote speaker at the Dr. Reaner and Mr. Henry Shannon Lecture in Minority Health at the UMKC School of Medicine. His speech was “The State of Diversity: 1965-2010.” It is the 10th anniversary of the Shannon Lecture. Others got the chance to meet Sullivan at a reception at the Diastole Scholars’ Center.
“The question I always hear is ‘why is it important for healthcare workers to be more diverse?’ ” Sullivan said. “A number of studies have shown that physicians who are black or Latino are three to five times more likely to practice in the barrio, to see a different patient population that might not be insured.
“And we know that cultural competence contributes to health outcomes. Does a physician understand that this patient who has this particular background might not trust the health care system? Does the patient trust what is being said so will they act on it?”
Sullivan’s appearance at UMKC launched a collaborative effort among Missouri’s medical schools to encourage minorities to enter the health professions. Sullivan is chairman of the Washington D.C.-based Sullivan Alliance to Transform the Health Professions. During his speech, he displayed a U.S. map showing states that have formed alliances: Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Nebraska, Maryland and Ohio. A number of other states including Missouri are in the process.
“We have a great opportunity for the state of Missouri,” said Rebecca R. Pauly, M.D., UMKC professor of Medicine and Biomedical Health and Informatics. “Leaders from UMKC, University of Missouri-Columbia, Saint Louis University and Washington University are reaching beyond our institutional silos to collaborate and construct programs focused on improving the diversity of the healthcare workforce. We are doing this through the creation of a Missouri Alliance.”
While serving as chair of the Florida Alliance from 2007 to 2013, Pauly witnessed engagement and synergy among institutions there.
The alliances address concerns of many diversity advocates and policy makers: that individual efforts tend to be more costly, less efficient and fail to sustain gains already made. The activities of current state alliances are focused on developing programs and funding sources that increase the number of students within the state who are identified, mentored and financially supported through the K-16 pipeline through baccalaureate education and into health professions training and employment. These efforts have been shown to be successful, even in the near term.
Pauly said the Missouri medical schools plan to meet in April with the hope of formalizing an alliance later this year.
With the exception of Sullivan’s tenure as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 1989 to 1993, Sullivan was founding president of Morehouse School of Medicine — the first predominantly black medical school established in the 20th century — for more than two decades. In 2002, he retired and was appointed president emeritus. He served as chair of the President’s Commission on Historically Black Colleges and Universities from 2002 to 2009, and was co-chair of the President’s Commission on HIV and AIDS from 2001 to 2006.
Shannon established the Shannon Lectureship with her husband, Henry, in 2006 just prior to her retirement from the School of Medicine. Former U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders presented the first Shannon Lecture. Speakers of local and national interest have presented the lecture each February since in conjunction with Black History Month, focusing on timely topics that impact the underserved and minority communities.