Tag: health disparities

Olivia Dhaliwal Olivia Dhaliwal (2 Posts)

Resident Contributing Writer, Editor

MAHEC Boone Rural FMR

 Olivia is a resident at MAHEC Boone Rural FMR, OH. Born and raised in Erie, PA (and sort of California, too) she has lived in eight different states since starting college and took a roundabout journey to medicine. She hopes to pursue rural family medicine, with a focus on integrative and preventative medicine. When not studying, she is likely to be found working out at CrossFit, practicing yoga, reading fiction, writing poetry, spending time outside with her rescue pitbull Baylor, or traveling to her next adventure.




Food and medicine in America: harms of industrialization, and paths to healing

Published by Olivia Dhaliwal

Food production and distribution and medical training and care have been similarly corrupted due to the prioritization of profit and emphasis on end results that value volume over quality by implementing assembly-line-like protocols. This has led to a crisis in preventable chronic disease, and a dearth of primary care physicians; both crises can begin to be healed through the use of small-scale, community based efforts utilizing biodynamic regenerative agriculture and local farmer’s markets, and the provision of care by Direct Primary Care family physicians who can provide affordable and accessible whole-person, whole-life care.

Hidden Impact: Parental Health Status and the Cost for Children

Published by Katelyn Girtain

Medical student Katelyn Girtain writes about her experiences as a child of a disabled mother that contributed to the lack of proper insurance and ultimately the occurrence of preventable health issues. She also explores relevant policies and the lack of literature on the impacts of parental disability/lack of insurance on children.

A Journey to Obstetrics & Gynecology Through Structural Racism in Maternal Outcomes

Published by Sara Phillips

Medical student Sara Phillips writes a personal reflection, grounded in scholarly literature, that details her exploration of racism as a mechanism for perpetuating disparities in maternal health outcomes. The piece traces discriminatory policies and actions undertaken by physicians and leaders in the field of obstetrics and gynecology to portray a historical origin for contemporary health inequities. Interacting with these grim stories and statistics, she reflects on what it means for her to seek out a career in OB/GYN to confront this prejudicial history and create a more just path forward.

The Difficult Patient

Published by Allen Betts

Medical student Allen Betts explores the often underrated effect of psychosocial determinants and the integral part they play in the influencing health and well-being. Read more to find out how he has come to appreciate the soft skills a physician gleans through patient encounters rather than through books.

Reproductive Planning During a State of Emergency

Published by Ritha Mera

Medical student Ritha Mera reviews responses to reproductive health care accesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mera writes as an advocate for women of color and highlights health disparities in vulnerable populations. Through drawing comparisons to past natural disasters and tracking the current pandemic’s harmful impacts on reproductive health care, Mera makes an argument for contraception and family planning to be included in emergency protocols for future disruptions.

Ritha Mera Ritha Mera (1 Posts)

Medical Student Contributor

Windsor University School of Medicine

 I am a first-generation immigrant from Portoviejo, Manabi, Ecuador. Navigating and experiencing life in my community has shaped and fueled my passion for women's reproductive health and education. I firmly believe education and accessible health care are the most powerful tools against disease. I am fascinated by Family medicine and Obstetrics/Gynecology because they allow for primary prevention and education in reproductive health.