Using a Biopsychosocial Approach to Address Health Disparities—One Person's Vision

Abstract

This paper will present one person’s vision of how best to address health disparities. A vision that transported Dr. Lovell A. Jones from the safe confines of a research laboratory in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences at the University of California San Francisco Medical School in 1980, to the area of health policy and community-based participatory research, and ultimately into health disparities research. These efforts began with the Biennial Symposium on Minorities & Cancer in 1987, followed by the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) in 1995, and ultimately the establishment of the Center for Research on Minority Health (CRMH) in 1999. The goal of this paper is to share those experiences in addressing health disparities in America. This paper will also touch on the problems of immigrants in the United States, their needs as human beings, the issue of access to education, job market, family, health care–related issues, as well as, other multicultural issues and how these problems should be addressed. We have not only taken a government and health systems approach, but focused on individual and community challenges and how creating approaches that address these challenges can facilitate societal adaptation and forward development. All of these became a part of the fabric that created the Biennial Symposium Series, the Intercultural Cancer Council and the Center for Research on Minority Health. The authorship of this paper is shared with some of those this journey has impacted. There are important lessons learned from my experiences in creating the Biennial Symposium Series, the ICC and the first center mandated by the US Congress outside of Washington, DC. These lessons focus primarily on minority health and health disparities. The identified initiatives are independent, yet must be integrated to effectively address health disparities through political, national, community, and educational/research advocacy. It is our hope that you will understand why Dr. Jones has come to the conclusion that the scientific approaches used in the 20th century will not work in the 21st century.