Major Minority Physician Associations Come Together

Alliance Signifies Closer Ties and Partnerships Between Doctors to Achieve Health Equity for the Underserved

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during Minority Health Month, five national organizations dedicated to health advocacy for patients from the major racial/ethnic minority populations in the U.S. have come together to form. The Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP), Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians (NCAPIP), National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), and National Medical Association (NMA) will provide leadership and a collective voice for racial/ethnic minority physicians to work towards better health outcomes for patients and communities of color.

The Alliance will:

• Develop approaches to increase participation of people of color in clinical trials
• Advocate for streams of funding that will address diseases and conditions that disproportionately impact communities of color
• Address the lack of diversity in the physician workforce

“Our organizations have a dedication to health equity, that necessitates a focus on the populations who are traditionally underserved,” said Dr. Doris Browne, President of the NMA. “Our collective voice will be of benefit to all of our work, and most importantly, the communities we serve.” The National Medical Association is the collective voice of physicians of African descent. It is the leading force for parity and justice in medicine and for the elimination of disparities in health. The NMA is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States.

“There has been real and significant progress made in health disparities, but they still exist and are related to language, culture, limited access to health care and lack of diversity in healthcare leadership,” said Dr. Elena Rios, President & CEO of NHMA. As physicians and researchers, we recognize our role as leaders in health care reform.” Established in 1994, the National Hispanic Medical Association empowers Hispanic physicians to lead efforts to improve the health of Hispanic and other underserved populations in collaboration with Hispanic state medical societies, residents, and medical students, and other public and private sector partners.

“The ABC is pleased that a collaborative effort has been underway by the Minority Physicians Alliance and other healthcare organizations in recognition of the disparities that exist among the broad population of ethnic and racial minorities,” said Dr. John Fontaine, President of the ABC. “The fundamental issue in this discussion is derived in-part from the Human Genome Project which has divulged that a commonality in genetic composition is shared by all racial groups. Consequently, the focus on epigenetic factors, access to care, health literacy and perhaps implicit bias among patients and healthcare providers, are quintessential factors that may contribute to resolving differential outcomes. We look forward to participating in Precision Medicine initiatives, clinical trials and other programs that will ultimately serve to accomplish our mission.” The Association of Black Cardiologists is dedicated to eliminating the disparities related to cardiovascular disease in all people of color.

”We look forward to continuing our affiliation with our other ethnic partners to more effectively articulate and implement solutions to our population’s health disparities, said Dr. Ron Shaw, President of AAIP. “While we all represent different ethnic minorities we all share a common vision of improved health and wellness for the future.” The Association of American Indian Physicians is an organization of over 400 physicians of American Indian and Alaskan descent dedicated to improving the health of Native people to its full potential.  

”Coming together means we will have a stronger voice when working with external partners, but it also will lead to greater understanding between groups that represent one third of the U.S. physician population,” said Dr. Ho Luong Tran, President & CEO of NCAPIP. “We encourage all physicians who serve communities of color, who want to advocate for health equity, and who want to make their voices heard, to join us in the coming months. The National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians seeks to alleviate the health burdens of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

For more information about the Minority Physicians’ Alliance, please contact David Hawks at dhawks@ncapip.org