Why are some zip codes healthier than others? Why do some groups in Missouri bear a greater burden of asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes? These and other questions are the focus of “Healthy Lives, Healthy Communities: Building Health Equity in Missouri One Community at a Time,” on April 27, from 8:45 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center in Columbia. The conference features leading health equity researcher Thomas LaVeist, PhD, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions and professor of health policy, Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Darrel G. Kirch, MD, president and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

A leading scholar on minority health, LaVeist’s research has changed how many health policy experts and legislative leaders think about improving health while closing gaps in access to care. One of his most recent studies confirmed that racial differences alone fail to explain gaps in health outcomes.

Since 2006, Dr. Kirch has led the AAMC and is an esteemed thought leader in medicine and education. He has held posts at several academic medical centers including Pennsylvania State University and the Medical College of Georgia. Much of his work focuses on improving health care for all Americans by reducing health disparities. Dr. Kirch has said, “reducing health disparities is more than just the right thing to do—it is a critical component of improving health care quality.”

“Healthy Lives, Healthy Communities” brings together statewide researchers, program planners and other health care advocates. The conference will cover racial and ethnic health disparities, newcomer and immigrant health disparities, health disparities for individuals with mental health conditions and LGBT health disparities.

Check it out! Registration and conference details.