JUNE 2001 - UCLA School of Public Health

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8 “Ethnic-identity enhancement strategies should be studied for their effectiveness in strengthening identity and for their potential in attracting individuals especially likely to benefit from programs that promote healthier lifestyles,” says Yancey, an Associate Professor at the School and Director of the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. For people of color, a strong sense of ethnic identity may buffer the impact of discrimination on psychological well-being, the research suggests, as well as playing an indirect role in protecting individuals from physical risks such as high blood pressure. Other studies have shown that differences in blood pressure between blacks and whites are partially explained by exposure to racial discrimination and responses to unfair treatment. “The positive experience of cultural sensitivity in the health intervention program, in contrast with the experience of cultural insensitivity or discrimination in everyday life, helps create positive attitudes toward the program and increases the likelihood of sticking with its objectives,” says Siegel, a Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences. UCLAPUBLIC HEALTH LESBIANS AND BISEXUAL WOMEN HAVE GREATER HEALTH RISK FACTORS THAN EXPECTED Ever pregnant Ever gave live birth Ever used birth control pills Current cigarette smoker Overweight Drinks alcohol Has health insurance RISK INDICATORS FOR U.S. WOMEN 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Lesbian/Bisexual Women All Women Lesbians and Bisexual Women at Greater Risk for Smoking- and Obesity-Related Diseases HEALTH-RISK PATTERNS AND LOWER RATES OF IMPORTANT screenings among lesbians and bisexual women leave them at greater risk of cancer and other chronic diseases linked to smoking and obesity than heterosexual women, according to a UCLA School of Public Health study. The study, led by Dr. Susan D. Cochran and published in the American Journal of Public Health, showed that lesbian and bisexual women have higher rates of obesity, alcohol use and tobacco use than other women, and are less likely to have health insurance coverage or to have had a recent pelvic examination or mammogram. Self-reported histories of breast cancer, however, did not differ from estimates for the general U.S. female population. “A key, and unexpected, finding is that lesbians and bisexual women are more likely to be current or former tobacco smokers than women in general,” says Cochran. “The effects of cigarette smoking on health are broad and well documented. Considered in conjunction with other risk factors, such as obesity and alcohol use, these finding raise new concerns about the health needs of lesbians and bisexual women.” Data were drawn from seven independent surveys conducted between 1987 and 1996 involving lesbian/bisexual health issues. The surveys assessed patterns of health screening, smoking and alcohol-use history, pregnancy, birth control and parity, prevalence of obesity, and breast cancer history. “Health care for women is organized around contraceptive needs, which bring women periodically into the health system,” says Cochran. “But lesbians typically don’t have contraceptive needs.” She also suggests that negative past experiences with the health care system might make lesbians more reluctant to get regular care. “For lesbians, experiences during late adolescence and early adulthood are likely to include exhortation to use contraceptives, disclosure of sexual orientation and provider discomfort or negative behaviors,” Cochran says. “If public health truly is for everyone, the results of this study demand the development of culturally competent educational campaigns and health care services to address the needs of this community.”
The Healthcare Collaborative at UCLA facilitates the exchange of information and services to enhance the development of health care professionals and organizations in California. The Collaborative sponsors events on a variety of relevant topics, featuring speakers who are publicand private-sector health care leaders. • The Quarterly Forum (no fee) focuses on major policy issues, with speakers from the national, state, and local levels. The morning event includes breakfast and time for networking. • The Management Series (no fee) addresses the latest issues challenging the health care community, specifically managers. These monthly evening seminars are held at UCLA. • Health Care Business Seminars are all-day events, tackling timely issues from multiple perspectives. For more information or to be added to The Healthcare Collaborative at UCLA’s mailing list, visit the group’s Web site at www.healthcarecollab.org or call (310) 206-3435. It’s where State Controller Kathleen Connell chose to deliver an address on “The State of Health Care in California.” Where speakers from the state’s Department of Managed Health Care and a panel consisting of managed-care industry and provider representatives outlined “Responsibilities, Priorities and Future Directions.” Where three physicians with a combined 60 years of experience as medical directors spoke of “Healthcare Survival: Solvency at Stake.” Current Events Whether the topic at hand relates to health policy, management challenges or e-health (the subject of a second day-long conference this spring), one thing doesn’t change. For professionals looking to keep their finger on the pulse of the rapidly changing health care industry, the monthly and quarterly events held by The Healthcare Collaborative at UCLA are not to be missed. Attendees include students, alumni, faculty and staff of the UCLA School of Public Health and the Anderson School at UCLA, along with more than 5,000 members of the Southern California health care community. There are physicians, nurses, lawyers, and executives from health plans, hospitals, medical groups, consulting firms, pharmaceutical companies, and ancillary health care providers. “It’s a great place to exchange information and ideas, a chance to meet people from other organizations and see how they’re confronting similar problems,” says Dr. Gail P. Grant, Medical Director of the Resource and Outcomes Management Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Chair of The Healthcare Collaborative at UCLA. Indeed, the opportunity for dialogue on timely topics between presenters and attendees — and among the attendees themselves — is a major part of the attraction, says Joseph Rooks, a management consultant who chairs the committee responsible for the quarterly forums and monthly management lecture series. “It’s a great place to network,” says Rooks. The Collaborative’s roots date to the mid-1980s, when a small group of physicians and alumni from the School of Public Health began to hold monthly lunch meetings where physician executives spoke on the day’s relevant topics. Soon the group grew beyond physicians to include business leaders and health care executives from all of Southern California. “Eventually we turned the planning over to the attendees themselves,” says Dr. Paul Torrens, the faculty member who spearheaded the early efforts, and whose Center for Health Services Management continues to provide the administrative support. “It’s really wonderful and quite unique.” Among the beneficiaries are students, many of whom attend the events. Says Marcus Fong, one of two student representatives on the Collaborative’s executive committee: “It is important for all students to see the changing face of health care. This brings real-life experiences to the program.” DISCUSSIONS OF THE HOT TOPICS OF THE DAY MAKE THE LECTURES, FORUMS AND SEMINARS OF THE HEALTHCARE COLLABORATIVE AT UCLA CAN’T- MISS AFFAIRS FOR A GROWING CONSTITUENCY. Above: One of the Healthcare Collaborative’s quarterly breakfast forums. Top of page, l. to r.: Joseph Rooks, Series Committee Chair; Dr. Gail Grant, Chair of the Collaborative; and Dr. Paul Torrens of the School’s faculty, who helped to initiate the group. Upper left photo, l. to r.: Dr. Ross Miller, a 1998 graduate of the School’s M.P.H. for Health Professionals Program; Dr. Stuart P. Bowne, Adjunct Professor in that program; and Torrens. 9 feature UCLAPUBLIC HEALTH
Page 1 and 2: UCLA PUBLIC HEALTH JUNE 2001 UCLA S
Page 3 and 4: When the Best Medicine Is Public He
Page 5 and 6: DEAN’S ADVISORY BOARD 3 ANDREW AL
Page 7 and 8: Chiropractic Care Appears Slightly
Page 9: Disadvantaged Groups Less Likely to
Page 13 and 14: 11 Why so much bickering over the r
Page 15 and 16: 13 There is a national shortage of
Page 17 and 18: measure it and find places to inter
Page 19 and 20: Left to right: Postdoctoral fellow
Page 21 and 22: Pillars of the Community FOUR YEARS
Page 23 and 24: alumni profile Heal the Bay’s Mar
Page 25 and 26: 2001 student awards 23 DAVID M. SOU
Page 27 and 28: honor roll 2000 THE SCHOOL THANKS A
Page 29 and 30: ALEXANDER CAPRON AND KATHLEEN WEST
Page 31 and 32: WILLIAM AND FLORA HEWLETT FOUNDATIO

JUNE 2001 - UCLA School of Public Health

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