In the US, African American women face higher mortality rates from major diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes compared to other demographics. These disparities are often due to systemic biases in healthcare, which can diminish or underestimate the pain and symptoms experienced by these women. The Promise of Predictive Healthcare in Personalized Medicine Predictive healthcare, however, marks an evolution in medical treatment, moving away from a generalized approach to a more individualized strategy. This approach uses advanced predictive analytics, which allows healthcare providers to identify potential health risks early and
Research has shown that Black adults experience higher rates of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, and irregular sleep patterns, more frequently than other demographic groups. Dr. Ivor Horn, Google’s Chief Health Equity Officer, is at the forefront of addressing these health disparities using AI. Her role mainly involves bridging healthcare gaps by using technology to enhance healthcare equity, particularly for marginalized communities. Sleep Disorders With Black People Factors contributing to less sleep among Black individuals include location, environmental noise, light pollution, and broader socio-economic issues such as stress and racial discrimination.
Dr. Dionne Mahaffey has developed an AI-powered platform, Behavioral Health Notes, to decrease the time mental health professionals spend recording notes. The Need For Efficiency in Mental Health Documentation The mental health sector has long faced challenges related to clinician burnout, increased by time-consuming administrative tasks. According to a recent report by Accenture, using AI in healthcare could save up to $150 billion annually by 2026, mainly by reducing such inefficiencies. A solution was needed for mental health professionals, where documentation can extend into personal time. Introducing Behavioral Health Notes Dr. Mahaffey, a
Hispanic and Latine employees feel pressured to conform to mainstream office norms at the expense of their authentic selves and cultural heritage, a new study by Coqual has revealed. Hispanic and Latine professionals represent a rapidly growing demographic in the U.S. workforce, yet they continue to navigate several stereotypes, colorism, and cultural invisibility. The Coqual study used a mixed-method approach, including surveys, focus groups, and expert interviews, involving more than 2,300 full-time professionals across the United States. The pressure to assimilate Key findings indicate that 68% of Hispanic and Latine professionals with sponsors
Integrating AI in mammography offers a new era in breast cancer detection. However, there are concerns for people of color. The technology, which is becoming increasingly accessible, has the potential to enhance early detection rates beyond the current 87% achieved by traditional mammograms, as reported by The New York Times. AI algorithms are not working at identifying subtle signs of cancer that conventional methods may miss, thereby reducing false positives and unnecessary treatments. The Concerns For People Of Color Despite these advancements, the adoption of AI-enhanced mammography faces significant hurdles. One
Frontline Doulas has launched the California Black Doula Directory, a resource designed to connect Black families across Los Angeles County with culturally aligned doula services at no cost. Founded in 2019 by Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson and Khefri Riley, community-based doulas and champions for Black maternal health, Frontline Doulas is at the forefront of preventative perinatal care in Southern California. “We want to ensure all birthing families find the care they need and deserve, with mutual respect and cultural alignment,” Riley said, according to Black Voice News. The California Black Doula Directory The introduction of this directory comes at
A 14-year-old passionate about technology, Sophie has developed an innovative AI chatbot focused on mental health. Mental Health meets AI Unlike the usual narratives surrounding AI, such as privacy invasion and fake news, Sophie’s AI chatbot offers hope to users. Her mother, Samantha, in a TikTok video, revealed how Sophie’s creation counters negative self-talk and mental health issues with positive affirmations and exercises in self-awareness and boundary setting. This chatbot’s introduction goes, “Humans often struggle on focusing on the present … and comparing each other to other people who we think are better, when really we should focus
HERide, a rideshare platform focused on women’s safety, has become the first Black-owned company to secure a contract with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Co-founded in 2019 by Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks, HERide conducts thorough background checks on drivers and integrates in-ride security features to ensure passenger safety. Focused on women’s safety Anderson’s experience as a rideshare driver highlighted many women’s discomfort using traditional services like Uber and Lyft, especially at night. “There were a lot of women that were hesitant with riding with men at night using Uber and Lyft,” Anderson told AFROTECH. “I
A recent study has revealed that Black patients may be less likely than their white counterparts to receive responses from doctors to their online queries. The study in JAMA Network Open is based on examining medical advice request messages sent in 2021 to Boston Medical Center, a major safety-net provider. As the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with substantial growth in patient portal messaging, the researchers scrutinized over 39,000 messages from primary care patients during this time. Black Patients Less Likely To Get A Response Of the patients included in the sample, 2006 were Asian, 21600
AI’s inability to detect signs of depression in social media posts by Black Americans was revealed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). This disparity raises concerns about the implications of using AI in healthcare, especially when these models lack data from diverse racial and ethnic groups. The Study The study, conducted by researchers from Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and its School of Engineering and Applied Science, employed an “off the shelf” AI tool to analyze language in posts from 868 volunteers. These participants, comprising equal
