Pursuing Pharmacoequity: Race and Novel Drugs in the US

For this external speaker presentation, Dr. Essien will: - Describe why health equity matters in 2021 - Examine atrial fibrillation as a model disease for health equity - Present a framework for achieving pharmacoequity Zoom Info: https://duke.zoom.us/j/91850458224 Meeting ID: 918 5045 8224 About our Speaker Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and a general internist and health disparities researcher in the VA Pittsburgh Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion. Dr. Essien's research focuses on racial disparities in the use of novel therapeutics for the management of chronic diseases including atrial fibrillation. He was also recently awarded a 5-year, $1 million Career Development Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has applied his health equity research framework to the COVID-19 pandemic, rapidly becoming an expert in examining the disparities that disproportionately affect minority communities. His work has been featured in leading medical journals including JAMA and the NEJM, and he has been interviewed by several national news outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, and NPR. Dr. Essien is a fierce advocate for diversity and equity in medicine, speaking nationally on the topic and co-founding an "Antiracism in Medicine" series for the Clinical Problem Solvers podcast. Dr. Essien's leadership in advancing health equity has resulted in several local and national awards including the 2021 AAMC Herbert Nickens Award.