Terri Lipman, PhD, CRNP: Addressing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Medicine

In recent years, awareness of racial and ethnic disparities in health care have gone from a topic of discussion to an actionable item in need of addressing.

In a recent study, a team from the University of Pennsylvania examined racial and ethnic disparities in insulin pump use among children with type 1 diabetes at a single center in Philadelphia. Upon analysis, results of the study indicated non-Hispanic White children were 2.5 times more likely to report insulin pump use than non-Hispanic Black children.

An analysis of rates within the center housing her own practice and those of her colleagues, Terri Lipman, PhD, CRNP, assistant dean of community engagement at the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, was a bit taken aback but noted she understands the importance of self-evaluation in the process of addressing these disparities.

In the following interview, Lipman offers clinicians advice on how clinicians can address the causes of disparities in care of children with type 1 diabetes on an individual and societal level.