Day 3
Session Code: VS-15
When: March 29, 2023
Level: Introductory
Track: Social Responsibility
Presenters: Dr. Abeer Madbouly, Be The Match | Dr. Ron Jacob, Be The Match | Vidya Ramraj, Be The Match | Lily Weber, Be The Match Biotherapies
Psssst … Did you know race is more than just a social construct? It’s true! You may hold the cure to someone’s illness within your very cells because of your race. How? Well, let’s talk about it.
Currently, 79% of white patients who need a donor cell-based treatment to cure their disease will receive those cells. In contrast, the same is true for only 29% of Black patients, 47% of Asian or Pacific Islander patients, 48% of Hispanic or Latino patients, and 60% of Native American patients. This disparity is not okay, but it can change — with a little help.
Join us as we explore race as a social construct versus race as a medical reality, discuss how your unique cells can help treat and/or cure diseases that often strike members of specific racial groups (for example, sickle cell anemia), and work through how you can be a champion in the fight to eliminate this disparity in access to life-saving treatment. Using race to combat disease and close the gap is easier than you may think.
Everyone deserves an equal chance at getting whatever life-saving treatment they need when they need it most. Be The Match is determined to close this gap in donor cell-based treatment access, and we can get closer with your help. Are you in?
Learning Outcomes:
• Gain a clearer understanding of the difference between race as a social construct and race as a medical reality • Develop new knowledge about how race can be used to close very real gaps in current medical treatment accessibility
• Learn how every person can be a champion alongside Be The Match, helping fight the current disparity in medical treatment accessibility
