Skip Top Navigation Bar
Image map used for navigation
Home Page About NCMHD Our Programs News and Events

NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series:

February 2013
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009


Media Coverage

Health Disparities Seminar Series

December 2011 Seminar Series
As the third year of the NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series comes to an end, the NIH welcomes Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista as the featured speaker for the December 15, 2011 seminar.

Racial and ethnic categorization in the U.S. dates back to the Nation's first census in 1790. This inaugural recording of the population solicited information about free white persons and slaves in each household. In the 22 censuses since, the U.S. Census Bureau has expanded and evolved its racial and ethnic classification of citizens to reflect the country's growing diversity. In fact, the 2000 Census allowed respondents for the first time to mark one or more races in order to capture this diversity after noting increasing numbers of interracial children in the U.S. population.

According to the Census Bureau, race data are critical for the basic research behind many policy decisions and assessment of the racial disparities in health and environmental risks. However, in a Nation riddled with health inequities, what are the race and ethnicity categories telling us? How are these numbers useful to health professionals, policymakers, and community members?

While data sets routinely categorize the U.S. population into race/ethnicity categories, and while differences in health status and behavior are routinely reported, it is not clear what these race/ethnicity categories are actually measuring. In his presentation, Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista will explore the origins and assumptions of these categories and contrast them with race and ethnicity categories used in the data systems of other countries.

Internationally recognized for his cutting-edge research on Latino health and culture, Dr. Hayes-Bautista is Professor of Medicine and directs the Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture (CESLAC) at the University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine. A leading advocate for eliminating health disparities, Dr. Hayes-Bautista established the CESLAC in 1992 to provide a focus for research, teaching, and public service in the area of Latino health. He has given over 680 presentations focused on our Nation's health care delivery system and the minority physician shortage.

Presentation Title: Nature, Nurture, History or Politics! What Do Our Race/Ethnic Categories Really Measure

Guest Speaker:
Dr. David E. Hayes-Bautista (Click here for bio)
Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health & Culture
University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine
Los Angeles, California

Date/Time: December 15, 2011
2:00 - 3:30 P.M.

Location: NIH Campus
Natcher Conference Center, Balcony A
45 Center Drive

Additional Information: There is limited parking on the NIH campus. The closest Metro is Medical Center. Please allow adequate time for security check. The seminar will be videocast and made available in the NIH Video archives and on the NIMHD website after the seminar. Sign language interpreters will be provided. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate should contact Edgar Dews at 301-402-1366 and/or the Federal Relay (1-800-877-8339).

home | about NCMHD | our programs | news & events | feedback

NIH Logo - Link to NIH Web Site

The NCMHD is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

DHHS logo - Link to Department of Health and Human Services Web Site