How Could Medical Racism Fuel Soaring Black Youth Suicide Rate? Answers and Solutions

Black children ages 5 to 12 are twice as likely to die by suicide as their white counterparts, and the rate of suicides among Black teens is rising faster than any other racial/ethnic group.

Those statistics are alarming to most people, but they’re not surprising to Yale Child Study Center (YCSC) Chief Resident and Child Psychiatry Fellow Dr. Amanda J. Calhoun.

“Experiences of anti-Black racism affect kids before they are even born,” says Dr. Calhoun.

The stress of anti-Black racism on Black mothers, including experiencing inferior care by health care providers, has been linked to low birthweight babies, putting Black infants at greater risk for developing depression and other mental health disorders.

In addition, racist beliefs start to become ingrained in children as young as four years old, which means that Black children start to experience racism from their peers and teachers as early as preschool.

“It’s not the school-to-prison pipeline. It’s the preschool-to-prison pipeline,” says Calhoun. Black children are more likely to be suspended from or arrested in school than their peers.

When they seek help, Black children are the most likely to be physically restrained in emergency departments. And they are more likely to be diagnosed with disruptive mood disorders than white children with comparable symptomatology.

“You have people who are traumatized, who are being traumatized, by people who are supposed to help them,” says Dr. Tichianaa Armah, Chief Psychiatry Officer and Vice President of Behavioral Health at Community Health Center, Inc.

“Of course, they are going to have poor mental health outcomes,” says Dr. Calhoun.

Dr. Armah and Dr. Calhoun tell “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter that they have seen the effects of this early trauma up close in their work and are exploring what measures can be taken to protect young Black lives.

Dr. Calhoun is leading a Black Youth Mental Health Clinical Case Conference Series at Yale University where experts will weigh in on complex clinical cases involving Black youth presented by YCSC trainees, please learn more here: https://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/black-youth-mental-health-series-yale/

But she is doing things a bit differently. “In a typical case conference, we talk about the problematic behavior of patients,” says Dr. Calhoun. None that she has seen have asked “What if one of the primary causes that has led to the lapses in care of this Black child is the medical racism of the team?” 

2020: Mark and Margaret reflect on the Year COVID-19 Took Over the World

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter reflect on 2020 at the end of a year like no other. When the COVID-19 pandemic began to take hold, they welcomed many of the world’s most renowned infectious disease, virology, and epidemiology experts. From Dr. Anthony Fauci to Dr. Ashish Jha, from New York Times writer and “Pandemic” docu-series producer Dr. Sheri Fink, to innovative scientists like Dr. Eric Topol, Dr. Zeke Emanuel, Dr. Michael Osterholm to US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, we learned about this emerging pathogen from some of the most gifted people in health care.

What a Year! A Look Back At COVID’s Grip on 2021

This week, Mark and Margaret take a look back at COVID’s hold on 2021, the early promise of vaccines, the relentless march of mutations and the vicious rise of new variants leading to pandemic surges around the world. They revisit conversations with memorable guests from famed virologists and epidemiologists like Paul Offit and Michael Osterholm, to President Biden’s COVID team leaders Rochelle Walensky, Anthony Fauci and Rachel Levine. They revisited guests focused on other health news: Bill McKibben on climate change, and Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson on the existential threat to women’s reproductive rights in the U.S. It was also a year to celebrate the dramatic discovery underway in the field of science, with Eric Topol, William Haseltine and NIH Director Francis Collins.

COVID’s 3rd Year: Experts Speak

We’re proud to have again served as a platform for trusted, informed experts during the third year of the pandemic.

This week “Conversations on Health Care” looks back on some of the most insightful comments from doctors and scientists who are on the frontlines of fighting COVID. In addition to NIH’s Dr. Anthony Fauci we had as our guests Dr. Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Zeke Emanuel at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Michael Osterholm from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Mary Bassett with the New York City Health Department and others.

Listen in as hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter capture their insights about these extraordinary medical challenges.

Health Policy Moves in ’22 Set the Stage for New Year

The health care public policy debates that swirled in 2022 will continue to make news in 2023. These issues ranged from the Dobbs abortion decision to the outcome of the midterm elections.

Many of the nation’s leading experts joined “Conversations on Health Care” during the past 12 months to share their perspectives.

Join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter as we look back at the year that was in health care policy.

Are You Up to Date on Health Care Policy & Innovation as 2024 Kicks Off? We Can Help.

A new year brings hope for breakthroughs for our most complex health care issues. The leading thinkers have been sharing their perspectives with us. We’ve captured the highlights from our recent interviews covering vaccinations, abortion, mental health and all the top stories. Plus, we have important updates for 2024. Click below to join hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter for “Conversations on Health Care.”

Aaron Smith, co-founder and Executive Director of Young Invincibles

This week, Mark and Margaret speak with Aaron Smith, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Young Invincibles, a non-profit working to give young adults a voice in the political process. Mr. Smith discusses their impact on provisions in the Affordable Care Act affecting the "millennial" population and their national efforts to encourage young adults to participate in the Insurance Exchanges.

Adam Dole, Presidential Innovation Fellow

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Adam Dole, recent Presidential Innovation Fellow at the White House and former entrepreneur-in-residence at the Mayo Clinic. Mr. Dole discusses the fertile intersection between public and private entities generating a robust culture in health care industry innovation.

Leading Neuroscientist Dr. Adam Gazzaley Talks Drug-Free Brain Health Treatments Using Virtual Reality and Video Games

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with renowned neuroscientist Dr. Adam Gazzaley, Director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center and Gazzaley Lab at UC San Francisco. Dr. Gazzaley discusses his closed loop system designed to improve brain function through personalized game design and feedback, which are already undergoing FDA clinical trials for therapeutic interventions for a number of brain disorders including ADHD, aging brain, PTSD and addiction.

Propelling Primary Care Towards Value-Based Care: Adam Boehler, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at HHS on Their Bold Agenda

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Adam Boehler, Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at HHS. They discuss ways the agency hopes to "blow up fee for service" and the efforts underway to propel the nation's primary care reimbursement structure towards shared risk and value-based care, rewarding clinicians for better outcomes.

Adriel Bettelheim, Managing Editor at CQ Roll Call

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Adriel Bettelheim, Managing Editor for Health at CQ Roll Call/Economist which boasts the largest press corps on Capitol Hill. Mr. Bettelheim discusses the legislative landscape impacting the Affordable Care Act as well as the emerging payment reforms aimed at reducing health care spending

Cleveland Clinic's Chief Experience Officer Dr. Adrienne Boissy on Embedding Empathy Into Health Care Training

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Adrienne Boissy, Chief Experience Officer at the Cleveland Clinic Health System who talks about the Patient Experience Summit, and the quest to improve patient outcomes and reduce clinician burnout by operationalizing empathy into health systems.

Mass Medical Society's Dr. Alain Chaoui on Joint Harvard Study on the Crisis of Physician Burnout

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Alain Chaoui, Past President of the Massachusetts Medical Society on their joint study, conducted with the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, on the 'national health crisis' of physician burnout in America.

Alan Weil, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.

Conversations on Health Care® focuses this week on developments in healthcare reform and innovation at the state level. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Alan Weil from the National Academy for State Health Policy, about the role states play implementing the new healthcare law, and the opportunity for every state to act as a laboratory for innovation.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes Foundation.

Conversations on Health Care® focuses this week on strategies to improve maternal-child health, reduce premature birth and eliminate disparities in birth outcomes. Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes Foundation, about current efforts at the national and local levels to achieve these goals.

Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs, the leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and health policy. Mr. Weil discusses the vital role the publication must play as a non-partisan, peer-reviewed journal in the ongoing health care debate and how its presence is poised to expand in the new media marketplace.

Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Alan Weil, Editor-in-Chief of Health Affairs, the leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and health policy. Mr. Weil discusses the vital role the publication must play as a non-partisan, peer-reviewed journal in the ongoing health care debate and how its presence is poised to expand in the new media marketplace.

Young Deaths from Colorectal Cancer Skyrocket as New Research Emerges

The recent death of former college football player Craig Roh from colon cancer at age 33 has brought attention to the “alarming” increase of colorectal cancer in young people. The American Cancer Society reports colon cancer is now the most common cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 and second for women under 50.

Dr. Alan Venook at the University of California-San Francisco is one of the nation’s leading colorectal cancer researchers. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and Dr. Venook explains to “Conversations on Health Care” hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter how to stem the rise in cases among young people.

Dr. Venook also talks about his research that found there’s no compromise in colorectal cancer patient survival or the risk of recurrent cancer over time with less radiation—a finding that goes against conventional wisdom.

WHO’s Vaccine Advisory Leader Discusses Global Readiness to Manage Pandemic: SAGE Chair Dr. Alejandro Cravioto

This week, Hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Alejandro Cravioto, Chair of SAGE, the international panel of experts making COVID-19 vaccine recommendations to the World Health Organization (WHO). Dr. Cravioto talks about their global team of scientists and the rigorous guidelines governing the approval process for emergency authorization for the Pfizer vaccine – as well as all others in the queue. He also discusses the need to scale up production for global distribution, as well as the need to ensure that vaccines are distributed equitably throughout all countries in the world.

“Roe Hanging On By A Thread”: Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson on Imminent Threat To Reproductive Rights

This week, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Planned Parenthood Federation of America CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, on upcoming Supreme Court hearing on S.B.8., the Texas law banning abortion after 6 weeks. She discusses the record number of restrictive abortion laws across the country causing harm to patients and clinicians committed to providing family planning services, and the former administration’s Title X abortion ‘gag’ rule, which greatly hampered access to legally-guaranteed ‘right to choose’. She expects Roe-v-Wade will likely be permanently compromised with the current conservative configuration on the nation’s High Court.