Dear Closing the Health Gap Community:

The Trump administration’s push to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives is not just a political move—it is a direct threat to progress, fairness, and the well-being of our communities. DEI programs are essential in addressing the systemic barriers that have long marginalized communities of color, women, and other underrepresented groups. Without them, disparities in health, education, and economic opportunity will only deepen, affecting future generations.

Here in Cincinnati, we have seen firsthand how DEI efforts create pathways to success, strengthen businesses, and improve health outcomes. Rolling back these initiatives jeopardizes the hard-fought progress we've made toward equity and justice. Now more than ever, we must stand together to defend inclusion and opportunity for all.

Thank you for your continued support in this fight and blessings for a safe and healthy week ahead!

Renee Mahaffey Harris

President & CEO

How a Black woman-focused health center is reducing health disparities in Cleveland

In 2020, Dána Langford read an analysis from Bloomberg CityLab that found her hometown Cleveland, Ohio, ranked second to last among major cities in the US for Black women’s health outcomes. As a certified nurse midwife, Langford was already well aware of the health disparities Black women face in the US, particularly when it comes to maternal mortality. Black patients in the US are nearly 3x as likely to die during childbirth and 50% more likely to give birth prematurely compared to white patients, according to the CDC.

In her 16-year career, Langford has been on “numerous” committees formed to address such inequities. “However, as I sat in these conversations, nobody in the room looked like the community that was being ravished by the disparities of infant and maternal mortality, and a lot of the solutions were coming from Black-led organizations, but they were being told no,” Langford told Healthcare Brew. In response, Langford founded the Village of Healing, an Ohio-based health center tailored to Black women. The center’s first location opened in 2022 in Cleveland’s Euclid neighborhood.

Click here for the full story.

Opinion: As a Black doctor, I know health disparities exist and value DEI

By Crystal Wiley Cene

I recently attended a private reception where university leaders, elected officials, including school district leaders, convened to discuss regional challenges facing San Diego. During the event, I noticed a woman eyeing me quizzically. I saw her approaching me at the end of the reception. I turned towards her and smiled, ready to introduce myself, when she abruptly stated, “I thought those roles were eliminated. How are you still here?”

I was speechless. No introduction. No greeting. Her question felt more like an accusation. She appeared to be responding to my name badge which indicated my role as a physician and health equity, diversity and inclusion leader at a local health system. Her words triggered a complex emotional response within me from shock to anger, and highlighted the current assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Many roles like mine have been eliminated as universities and companies have dropped their commitment to DEI, and federal funding for DEI research is in jeopardy. As a Black woman physician from the South, I am accustomed to having my merit questioned, but this felt different. 

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Psychiatrist’s research, advocacy advances mental health equity

The AMA defines health equity as “optimal health for all.” The work of psychiatrist Stephanie Eng, MD, is a reminder that this means mental as well as physical health. Dr. Eng, an assistant professor of psychiatry and an attending physician in a 22-bed inpatient acute psychosis unit at a behavioral health hospital in White Plains, New York, is also part of the third cohort of a program training physicians to be the next generation of health equity advocacy leaders. These physicians are participating in the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship, which is a collaborative initiative created by the AMA Center for Health Equity and the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

Fellows participate in a three-day, in-person learning intensive at the beginning of the fellowship and subsequently engage in monthly learning sessions with a multidisciplinary group of nationally renowned experts, scholars, researchers and current and former policymakers across all levels of government.

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