Release

UAlbany's CEMHD hosts Lecture by Jos� Calder�n:
The Health Disparities Equation: An Ethnomedical Perspective

Contact: Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 26, 2006) -- The University at Albany's Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities will host a lecture by researcher Dr. Jos� Calder�n, the director of the Center for Cross Cultural Epidemiologic Studies at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. The lecture, held on today from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. in Humanities 290, will focus on health disparities in the context of multi-cultural populations.

Dr. Calder�n's studies look to define health disparities in the context of multi-cultural populations. During his presentation, he discusses the multiple components that contribute to health disparities, and helps attendees understand the fundamentals of 'Ethnomedical Science,' the association between race/ethnicity and health disparities, and the association of health literacy and health disparities.

"Dr. Calder�n is a very dynamic person, an alum of the University at Albany and a graduate of Harvard Medical School," said Lawrence Schell, director of CEMHD. "We are grateful to hear his insights on the multiple barriers that contribute to health disparities."

	From left, Lawrence Schell, director, CEMHD, Jos� Calder�n, and Carlos Cupril, former Educational Opportunity Program advisor, UAlbany.

Dr. Calder�n is currently an assistant professor at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science where he is director of the NIH-funded Center for Cross-cultural Epidemiological Studies (DUCES), the RCMI Translational Research Network MICRO Core, and the RCMI-Biometry/Survey Research Core.  He is also director of the Drew/UCLA EXPORT Center of Excellence Measurement Core, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality (AHRQ).  His area of expertise in education and research is in cross-cultural health, cultural competence, health communication and the impact of poverty on healthcare access, utilization and health outcomes.  He has given numerous workshops and seminars in this field of study nationally.

As an NIH EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training) center, UAlbany's Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities will identify health problems and seek ways to reduce and eventually eliminate, minority health inequities by building the University's health disparities research capacity and by strengthening community partners' ability to collaborate on research and intervention programs. Under the direction of Lawrence Schell, professor of anthropology and epidemiology at the University at Albany, CEMHD seeks to make a significant difference in the health of our communities by facilitating university-community partnerships to determine local causes of health disparities and then to determine the best, most community-relevant solutions. For more information, visit CEMHD.