Courtesy photo
Wave Staff Report
LOS ANGELES — Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science hosted its 10th annual President’s Breakfast Feb. 27 at the Colburn School.
The event brought together key voices in health care and policy to discuss this year’s theme: “Health Disparities: Are We Better Now?”
“For the last nine years, the breakfast’s speakers and panelists have engaged in thought-provoking, controversial and inspiring dialogue that reflects on the topic’s history, takes inventory of the challenges faced and progress made, and outlines the work ahead,” said university President and CEO Dr. David M. Carlisle in his opening remarks. “For the first time in 10 years, the CDU President’s Breakfast also addressed the very real possibility and consequences of losing ground and regressing on a critical societal issue and human right.”
Xavier Becerra, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, delivered a keynote address that underscored the persistent challenges facing underserved communities, while also offering a message of resilience and action.
“We need to move from a system that treats an illness to one that promotes wellness,” Becerra said, calling for a more preventative approach to health care that prioritizes long-term community well-being over reactive treatment.
“We’re repairing a bunch of broken men and women, and we’re spending big money to do that,” he added. “If we had spent the money to build strong children from the very beginning, can you imagine the might of this country.”
Following Becerra’s remarks, a panel of experts moderated by Carlisle further explored the state of health disparities and the steps needed to create lasting change. Their insights underscored the urgency of Drew’s mission to cultivate leaders dedicated to social justice and health equity.
Dr. Paula Braveman, professor emeritus of family and community medicine and the founding director of the Center for Health Equity at UC San Francisco, highlighted the pervasive influence of structural racism on health disparities, particularly in maternal and infant care.
“What people don’t think about so much is that racism acts more indirectly and is mostly structural,” she said.
She pointed to racial residential segregation and disparities in bank lending as key contributors to underfunded schools, reduced economic opportunity and increased stress — factors that ultimately impact health outcomes.
“At this point in our history, [structural racism] is probably more deadly in terms of what its effects are,” she added.
Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine at UCLA, addressed how traditional racial and ethnic categories in health research can both help and hinder efforts to address disparities.
“We need to create a new way of defining human samenesses and human differences, a way that’s more fluid, more dynamic,” he said.
He emphasized the need for a framework that better captures the complexity of health disparities while maintaining predictive power. Hayes-Bautista also noted Drew University’s unique positioning as both a historically Black graduate institution and a Hispanic-serving institution, calling it “ground zero for this new way of thinking about a multiracial and multicultural society.”
Katherine Haynes, senior program officer for People-Centered Care at California Health Care Foundation, emphasized the crucial role of community-based organizations in bridging health care gaps.
“Organizations that have organic relationships with the communities whose lives we’re trying to improve are perfectly positioned to do what we’ve learned,” she said.
Haynes cited a California Health Care Foundation study revealing that community members want education not just on health conditions but on navigating the health care system itself.
“Charles R. Drew University and community-based organizations are perfectly positioned to answer that call,” she added, stressing the importance of trusted institutions in guiding individuals through complex healthcare and insurance systems.
To close the panel discussion, Carlisle posed a final question to the panelists: “Are we better in terms of disparities today than we were?” The responses reflected both optimism and urgency.
Becerra emphasized his belief in progress, stating, “I’m the son of immigrants, so optimism runs in my DNA. We are better off than we were before, and we will be better off because we’re going to change it.” Braveman acknowledged improvements in health care coverage but cautioned that disparities in life expectancy have worsened, urging continued efforts to combat inequities.
Hayes-Bautista, drawing on his decades of experience, highlighted the cyclical nature of progress and setbacks, emphasizing the importance of collective action. Haynes pointed to California’s leadership in aligning state agencies around health equity, noting that systemic approaches to equity have advanced significantly.
Carlisle closed the event with a powerful reflection on the critical role of empathy in closing health disparity gaps.
“You can’t teach empathy, unfortunately,” he said. “Empathy is inherent. It is developed through lived experiences. Through struggle. Through community.
“CDU students embody empathy. They enroll at CDU and learn to use and channel their empathy. And when you’re surrounded by empathy, it’s much harder to feel like an outsider. Imposter syndrome can’t touch you. That’s the CDU difference and why CDU is a place worth investing in.”
