暗网禁区破解版 recently honored Women鈥檚 History Month with the engaging Women鈥檚 Health Equity Symposium. Hosted by the University鈥檚 Women鈥檚 Leadership Council in the Ida B. Wells Lounge, the event addressed systemic inequity in the global healthcare system and presented ways for female-identifying individuals to access essential care.
Panelists included Dr. Amy Whitaker, a clinical associate professor in the University of Chicago鈥檚 department of obstetrics and gynecology; Dr. Yue Li, an assistant professor of psychology at 暗网禁区破解版; Sharmili Majmudar, the executive vice president of policy, programs & research at Women Employed; and Dr. Maureen Benjamins, a senior research fellow at Sinai Urban Health Institute. The panel was moderated by Dr. Sadhana Jackson, the principal investigator and NIH Distinguished Scholar at the National Institutes of Health.
Topics included abortion access, family leave policy and socioeconomic systems that currently limit women鈥檚 access to health services.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe that you can separate economic equity from health equity, particularly in the United States,鈥 said Majmudar. 鈥淥ver the past 50 years, the pay gap has only improved by pennies, and women disproportionately shoulder the responsibility of caregiving, which exponentially affects career prospects and access to services in an American system that ties healthcare to employment.鈥
Panelists also discussed community-based solutions. Dr. Whitaker, who is also the chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, discussed how placing clinics in underserved areas can create a 鈥渂ridge鈥 to prenatal care and integrate low-income women and women of color into the wider system. 鈥淭raveling for care usually falls on marginalized patients who are already balancing inflexible job schedules and less reliable public transportation options, so offering care in convenient locations can help minimize the equity loss and provide childcare options that minimize cost.鈥
Following the panel, attendees discussed how to advance health equity through legislation and everyday action, and they were given a copy of Jane Against the World: Roe V. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights by Karen Blumenthal, which has been selected as the Women鈥檚 Leadership Council鈥檚 spring book read.
You can view the panel discussion on .