Winter 2012 | Feature Article
Skin of Color Research Institute By definition, health disparities
Hampton University
are, “preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvan- taged populations. Populations can be defined by factors such as race or ethnicity, gender, educa- tion or income, disability, geographic location (e.g., rural or urban), or sexual orientation,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. Such sensitive topics and their
beginnings have traditionally been on the backburner due to lack of research and interest in subjects that affect so few. Still, as the minority population increases, this research has become increas- ingly important. Statistics indi- cate by the year 2050, people with skin of color, including Afri- cans, African Americans, Asians, Native Americans and Hispanics will represent more than half of the U.S. population. That said, there’s much to be done, and a new energy and focus is needed to be as aggressive as
possible. HU has both to offer. “We’re training undergraduates and minorities in biology and chemistry to understand derma- tology and garner more interest in health disparities. We’re trying to generate more manpower to carry out research,” said Dr. Meena Katdare, professor and the scien- tific director at HUSCRI. “We’re placing emphasis on teaching and training a younger generation. It’s going to take them to figure out what’s wrong with us.” Enter 20 year-old Ivory Patter- son, a senior biochemistry major at HU, who conducts research alongside Katdare. The pair, along with other researchers at HU, is studying hyper and hypo pigmen- tation and its effect on minorities. Patterson, from Milwaukee,
Wis., is excited to be part of forthcoming research that can potentially change data analysis in the health field. “Some [people] in the medical field for a long time may have developed a bias with regard to leaning toward one theory versus another,” Patterson said. “I’m excited to bring a fresh perspec-
6 Hampton University Alumni Magazine
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