FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
Newsletter | Issue 16 | December 2020
 A Year in Review
The new year may be rapidly approaching, but we would like to take a moment to review some of our most important moments from 2020. We thank you for your continued support of the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (FDA OMHHE), and we look forward to another year of working to make health equity a reality for all.
In January 2020, the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity sponsored a special tobacco-focused supplement in Health Promotion Practice journal. The supplement featured a compilation of articles focused on tobacco-related research and interventions that contribute to understanding health disparities among diverse populations, such as African Americans, Latinos, American Indian and Alaska Natives, veterans, and LGBTQ persons. The supplement also included a commentary published in collaboration with the FDA Center for Tobacco Products highlighting FDA's efforts to address tobacco use. The 18 articles in the supplement were made available to the public, free of charge, for 12 months from the release date on the SAGE Journals website. To date, the articles have been downloaded a combined total of 21,000 times.
FDA OMHHE created a Memorandum of Understanding with Yale University to promote scientific progress through various science-based initiatives, fellowships, internships, research and scientific education. As part of this endeavor, the Innovation and Diversity Summit: Patient-Centered Approaches to Care and Research, a collaboration of FDA OMHHE, Yale School of Medicine, and the Yale Cultural Ambassadors for Clinical Research, was formed with a focus on raising awareness about the need for minority and other diverse participation in clinical trials; patient-centered approaches to care and research; and the role of technology in both areas. In February 2020, the second annual Innovation and Diversity Summit was held at Yale University in Hartford, Connecticut. The summit brought together stakeholders from across government, industry, academia, and the community to provoke discussion about innovation and clinical trial diversity and raise awareness. Presenters represented FDA, NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cultural Ambassadors, industry, and patient advocacy organizations with more than 300 attendees.
This year marked the 10-year anniversary of the FDA Office of Minority Health and Health Equity. Over the last decade, FDA OMHHE has worked dedicatedly to deliver valuable public health information to underserved communities, patients, as well as stakeholders from the public and private sector, academia, non-profit organizations, and regulated industry. The office has created research and communications programs that highlight the importance of health disparities-focused research and its significance in advancing health equity for all.
We are proud to have had a successful first decade and we look forward to continuing our work in closing the health disparities gap. We encourage you to read our special message from the Associate Commissioner of Minority Health, RADM Richardae Araojo, and please continue to check in with us to learn about our new events and initiatives.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is working around the clock with our U.S. government partners, medical product manufacturers and international partners to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Some racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally burdened by chronic disease and are much more likely to succumb to certain illnesses, making the need for tailored communication and research critical.
The FDA continues to work with our federal partners, academia, and other experts across the nation in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to amplify communications to diverse communities and the public at large. In our effort to provide the most current and accurate COVID-19 information, we have increased outreach by developing and disseminating COVID-19 health education materials for consumers in multiple languages, such as "How You Can Make a Difference During the Coronavirus Pandemic" (available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Tagalog) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) "Frequently Asked Questions" (available in English and Spanish), that provide answers to questions consumers may have about COVID-19.
These educational materials include general information and details on pertinent COVID-19 topics such as social distancing, diagnostic testing, vaccine development, fraudulent medical products, blood and plasma donation, and food safety. The agency’s official COVID-19 webpage has been translated into Spanish, and we’ve also created a "COVID-19 Multilingual Resources" webpage that features important information and updates such as information about the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in multiple languages including: Arabic, Burmese, Cherokee, Chinese, Chuukese, German, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Yiddish.
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FDA OMHHE Health Equity Lecture Series
The Health Equity Lecture Series hosted thought leaders from around the nation to share their work on addressing minority health and health disparities. The lectures were attended by FDA staff and external participants representing multiple sectors, such as academia, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, federal government, industry, among others. Continuing education credits were offered for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and certified health education specialists.
Eliminating Hepatitis B in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Communities
In May 2020, Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, Senior Vice President for the Hepatitis B Foundation and Kate Moraras, MPH, Deputy Director of Public Health for the Hepatitis B Foundation, served as presenters during their “Eliminating Hepatitis B in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander” webinar. They discussed the challenges and barriers to hepatitis B screening and care, as well as multi-level strategies to eliminate hepatitis B-related health disparities.
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Achieving Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Clinical Research
In September 2020, Dr. Barbara E. Bierer, Faculty Director, MRCT Center; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Luther T. Clark, Deputy Chief Patient Officer, Merck, served as presenters during the “Achieving Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Clinical Research” webinar. Drs. Bierer and Clark introduced MRCT Center's Diversity Framework and highlighted how stakeholders can contribute to increasing diverse representation in clinical research and ultimately improve health equity and public health domestically and abroad.
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Ending the HIV Epidemic in Indian Country
In November 2020, Rick Haverkate, MPH, National HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C Program Coordinator for the Indian Health Service, presented during the “Ending the HIV Epidemic in Indian Country” webinar. Mr. Haverkate discussed current federal strategies for combatting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Indian Country and vulnerable communities.
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Visit the FDA OMHHE website and follow us on Twitter at @FDAHealthEquity
"Creating a world where health equity is a reality for all."
www.fda.gov/HealthEquity
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