A pivotal mission remains at the forefront of this year’s annual meeting: advancing health equity in hematology. ASH’s innovative Health Equity Studio, housed at the San Diego Convention Center’s Sails Pavilion, offers attendees an array of microlearning sessions that tackle structural barriers and health disparities affecting diverse communities. This year’s sessions are united by a transformative theme — dismantling health care obstacles to foster inclusivity and equity for all patients.
A Blueprint for Inclusive Clinical Trials
The landscape of clinical trials has long struggled to reflect the diversity of real-world patients, inadvertently perpetuating health disparities. Paula Aristizabal, MD, MAS, from UC San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital, will shine a light on this issue during her session, Achieving Equity and Inclusion in Clinical Trial Enrollment: Challenges and Opportunities. She will explore how social determinants of health such as health literacy and acculturation significantly impact trial participation, particularly among marginalized communities.
“As a Hispanic physician-scientist, I have witnessed firsthand the disparities in access to cancer care, particularly among our minority populations,” Aristizabal said. “It is important for me to improve access to care and provide the same opportunities to all children with cancer, regardless of their background. This is my passion and my mission for my academic career.”
Dr. Aristizabal’s work illustrates the power of culturally tailored interventions to make research participation more accessible, ensuring that groundbreaking treatments reach those who need them most. Her session serves as a call to action for the medical field to embrace inclusivity within clinical research practices.
Bridging Language Gaps in Hematology
Effective communication is at the heart of quality patient care, yet language barriers pose a significant challenge for many non-English-speaking patients. Joanna Robles, MD, of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Brenner Children’s Hospital, will address this issue in Advocating for Language Justice in Hematology. Dr. Robles’ insights underscore the importance of linguistic inclusivity, offering practical strategies to improve access for patients with limited English proficiency. By advocating for language justice, Dr. Robles opens a crucial dialogue on how health care providers can ensure all patients have an informed, empowered voice in their care.
Data Equity for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Communities
The lack of accurate health data for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities has hindered meaningful health care interventions. In Combating Structural Racism for Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders in Health Data, Kekoa Taparra, MD, PhD, from Stanford Health Care, will explore how aggregated data often obscures the unique health challenges facing NHPI individuals. Dr. Taparra advocates for disaggregated data practices that reveal rather than erase these needs, setting the stage for equitable resource distribution and public policy. This session will offer a critical perspective on how data practices can perpetuate or dismantle systemic health inequities.
Inclusive Health Care for Immigrant Communities
Undocumented immigrants and mixed-status families face profound health care challenges, exacerbated by xenophobic policies that restrict access to essential services. Dr. Jessie Kemmick Pintor, PhD, MPH, of Drexel University, will explore these complexities in her session, Ensuring Equitable Access to Quality Care for Undocumented Immigrants and Mixed-Status Families. Her work spotlights the intersection of immigration policy and health care accessibility, advocating for policies that extend health care inclusivity to all, irrespective of immigration status. Dr. Pintor’s session embodies the Health Equity Studio’s dedication to breaking down policy-driven barriers to equitable health care.
Global Diversity and Leadership in Hematology
Bringing an international lens to equity in research, Luis Enrique Malpica Castillo, MD, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center, will discuss the importance of global representation and diversity in Global Hematology Collaboration: Advancing Diversity and Leadership in Clinical Research. Reflecting on his journey from Peru to a prominent research position, Dr. Malpica Castillo emphasizes the value of mentorship and collaboration to uplift minority physicians into leadership roles.
“[Studying] rare conditions in the United States that are prevalent in other countries can lead to good outcomes for patients globally,” he said. This effort, he added, has led to the development of infrastructure to help study lymphomas in 15 Latin American countries, known as Grupo de Estudio Latinoamericano de Linfoproliferativos, with plans to expand this initiative to other diseases, including myeloma and leukemia. His session underscores the Health Equity Studio’s mission to cultivate an inclusive field that mirrors the global population it serves.
Building Trust With Marginalized Communities
A strong provider-patient relationship is foundational to health care success, especially within communities historically marginalized by the medical field. Jorge E. Cortes, MD, of the Georgia Cancer Center and Randolph Lyde, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will co-present Strengthening the Provider-Patient Relationship: A Guide to Building Trust. Drs. Cortes and Lyde will explore the crucial role that empathy, communication, and respect play in fostering trust. This session highlights a fundamental aspect of health equity — strengthening relationships to empower patients and improve health care outcomes across diverse populations.
A Collective Vision for Health Equity in Hematology
ASH’s Health Equity Studio showcases a dynamic vision: a hematology field where health care is inclusive, diverse, and patient-centered. Each session sheds light on a specific aspect of health care inequality, from equitable clinical trials to the global diversity of research leadership. Together, they strengthen a collective call for a more inclusive approach to hematology, ensuring that diverse communities are recognized, heard, and appropriately served.
