2020-21 Fellows are invited to learn more about the Social Determinants of Health from our key presenter, Gabriella Oates, PhD. Specifically, Dr. Oates will present “Defining ‘vulnerability’ using COVID-19 social risk factor data” based upon her research in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. This session will be co-hosted with the North Carolina ASF program and open to Fellows in other ASF sites, too.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Gabriela Oates is an Assistant Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Division of Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine and an Associate Scientist in several research centers, including the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC). She investigates the impact of social determinants of health on clinical outcomes in chronic respiratory conditions. She is particularly interested in how the social and physical environments shape health-related behaviors. The ultimate goal of her work is to develop strategies for reducing the burden of socioeconomic disparities on child health. Her most recent research evaluates the impact of social determinants on infection rates and severity of COVID. Her talk will highlight what this new data teaches us about the social factors that made people most vulnerable to COVID and will touch upon the impact of racism and the political determinants of health.
Learning objectives: After the session, Fellows will be able to:
• Define social determinants of health and give at least three examples;
• Apply research on COVID-19 transmission rates and health outcomes to define “vulnerability” status in terms of social risk factors rather than simply race-based differences;
• Reflect on the lessons learned from COVID-19 health communication and vaccine hesitancy and consider how those lessons influence their project-based work and future career ambitions; and
• Consider the role of trust-building and involving the community and key stakeholders for identifying and addressing the risk factors for COVID.
Preparation Needed: Fellows are asked to read/watch the following in order to have a basic understanding of SDoH prior to the session:
• https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.17.0312 – overview article
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmMutvgQIcU – 5 min. video about political determinants of health
Agenda: Dr. Oates will present on the findings of her recent research, followed by a breakout session where Fellows will discuss two application questions. Everyone will re-gather and briefly report out, concluding with a Q&A with Dr. Oates. The session seeks to be very interactive, with chat responses, and polling questions, in addition to the small-group discussions.