September 17,
2018By Physicians for a Healthy California NEPO
NEPO
The Network of Ethnic Physician Organizations (NEPO) held its 16th annual summit on September 14 – 15, 2018, in Pasadena. NEPO mobilizes more than 53 ethnic physician organizations across to the state to support physician-led efforts to address health disparities in underserved communities. The annual summit – Building the Best You: Celebrating the Joy of Medicine – welcomed over 100 physicians, community leaders, public health professionals, medical students and advocates across the state.
The summit was opened by California State Senator Holly Mitchell who thanked the audience for addressing health disparities in underserved communities. She noted that access to health care in underserved communities will continue to be a priority for her. Two key speakers during the NEPO summit were called “the moral authority of physicians” due to their unwavering commitment to access to care for underserved communities even in the face of political pressure. The Friday morning general session included a presentation by Lili Cervantes, M.D., from Denver Health sharing her research on access to end-stage renal hemodialysis services for undocumented immigrants. The Saturday morning general session led by Scott Allen, M.D., for Physicians for Human Rights described the harsh realities of access to health services in immigration detention centers.
Other NEPO speakers also addressed poignant issues impacting communities color. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, M.D., from the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities spoke to the issue of disparities in mental health for underserved communities. Freddi Segal-Gidan, PA, PhD from the USC California Alzheimer’s Disease Center discussed dementia in minority populations. Finally, Christine Santiago, MPH, a medical student at Harvard Medical School shared a clinical case study for physician diversity. Other presenters can be seen here.
NEPO also congratulated David Goldschmid, M.D., as the recipient of the Adarsh S. Mahal, M.D., Access to Health Care and Disparities Award; Randal Pham, M.D., as the recipient of the Ethnic Physician Leadership Award; and Satinder Swaroop, M.D., as the recipient of the Robert D. Sparks, M.D., Leadership Achievement Award. They represent the best in all of us!
We look forward to seeing you at the 2019 annual NEPO Summit to be held August 22-24, 2019 in the Los Angeles area. More information will be forthcoming.