Dr. Miguel Ruiz

All right, good, great question. Thank you very much for having me here with you. And I'm glad this is going to be a conversation because as you know, some of these deep questions don't have a clear cut answer or a simple answer.

All right, good, great question. Thank you very much for having me here with you. And I'm glad this is going to be a conversation because as you know, some of these deep questions don't have a clear cut answer or a simple answer.

These are very complex topics. And, you know, I'm not sure what has brought this to the forefront now in the last few years. You're right. Disparities have always existed. From the very beginnings of medicine and history, there's been discrimination, disparities, and the forces behind them that have existed. And that is actually...

These are very complex topics. And, you know, I'm not sure what has brought this to the forefront now in the last few years. You're right. Disparities have always existed. From the very beginnings of medicine and history, there's been discrimination, disparities, and the forces behind them that have existed. And that is actually...

And in the case, even in the beginnings of medicine, we have an increased awareness of how our early fathers in the medical science really, unfortunately, use very racist approaches to care. from the mistreatment of enslaved individuals to the use of these for experimentation to really misconceptions, even in our most prestigious journals.

And in the case, even in the beginnings of medicine, we have an increased awareness of how our early fathers in the medical science really, unfortunately, use very racist approaches to care. from the mistreatment of enslaved individuals to the use of these for experimentation to really misconceptions, even in our most prestigious journals.

For example, the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year and in the last couple of years have had some series of articles on racism in medicine and healthcare disparities in medicine. And they go to a historical review of such. So this is not a new topic. Healthcare disparities and health disparities have existed from the beginning. I think many factors go into why now, to your question.

For example, the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year and in the last couple of years have had some series of articles on racism in medicine and healthcare disparities in medicine. And they go to a historical review of such. So this is not a new topic. Healthcare disparities and health disparities have existed from the beginning. I think many factors go into why now, to your question.

I think one of the factors is that we have had a greater capacity to measure. We have been much more focused on outcomes and because of the technological progress and development, we are able to extract data much more easily than we used to in the older days when a lot of the research was much more manual.

I think one of the factors is that we have had a greater capacity to measure. We have been much more focused on outcomes and because of the technological progress and development, we are able to extract data much more easily than we used to in the older days when a lot of the research was much more manual.

And now with powerful computing systems, we're able to extract data from electronic health records, which we didn't have before. in a much easier way. Therefore, having access to these metrics very quickly and in a very efficient way. Thus, in terms of the technological, then there is obviously the whole social moment that we are living.

And now with powerful computing systems, we're able to extract data from electronic health records, which we didn't have before. in a much easier way. Therefore, having access to these metrics very quickly and in a very efficient way. Thus, in terms of the technological, then there is obviously the whole social moment that we are living.

And as you can see, obviously the history of our country and the history of humanity has had highs and lows and peaks of awareness of the disparities, racial and otherwise. And as you know, the last four or five years have been very active years for unfortunate reasons on those issues of the injustices.

And as you can see, obviously the history of our country and the history of humanity has had highs and lows and peaks of awareness of the disparities, racial and otherwise. And as you know, the last four or five years have been very active years for unfortunate reasons on those issues of the injustices.

of our society, and obviously with healthcare injustices are at the very core of injustice in general because of the consequences of such. So I think those are two things that come to mind. I know there are probably many others, but there have been scientists and researchers that have been looking into this topic for many years, not just the last few years.

of our society, and obviously with healthcare injustices are at the very core of injustice in general because of the consequences of such. So I think those are two things that come to mind. I know there are probably many others, but there have been scientists and researchers that have been looking into this topic for many years, not just the last few years.

Great, great question as well. I think one of the contributors to a greater gap for Minnesota is that the outcomes for some individuals are very excellent. So when you have a gap, the gap is differential in between a health status or health outcome in between two different or three or four different groups. So when one group has excellent outcomes,

Great, great question as well. I think one of the contributors to a greater gap for Minnesota is that the outcomes for some individuals are very excellent. So when you have a gap, the gap is differential in between a health status or health outcome in between two different or three or four different groups. So when one group has excellent outcomes,

that makes the gap bigger, even when the outcome for that more disadvantaged group are not worse than the outcome for that such a group in other parts of the country. So I think that's one of the contributors.

that makes the gap bigger, even when the outcome for that more disadvantaged group are not worse than the outcome for that such a group in other parts of the country. So I think that's one of the contributors.