Apr. 17, 2025 By Dr. Ifeanyi Oguagha
As physicians of color at Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center (JPAFHC), we regularly witness how representation in healthcare can save lives. Our patients – who, like us, are predominantly people of color – walk through our doors not only with medical concerns but also often carrying the weight of generations of inequities that have shaped their health outcomes.
From chronic diseases to maternal mortality, racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. continue to experience worse health outcomes than their white counterparts. Black adults are nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes. Black men have the highest prostate cancer mortality rate, and Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer despite similar incidence rates to white women.
Unfortunately, these disparities are not coincidental but instead rooted in systemic inequities, issues ranging from unequal access to care and environmental and economic disadvantages to a history of medical distrust. Studies also show that doctors’ own implicit biases about race can affect how they treat patients, which may lead to additional disparities in healthcare.
April marks National Minority Health Month, a time to confront these disparities and work toward solutions. According to the Office of Minority Health, this year’s theme is “Advancing Commitments to Eliminate Health Disparities,” which highlights a key part of the solution: investing in a diverse healthcare workforce that reflects the communities it serves.
Trust is fundamental to healthcare. Studies show that Black patients with Black doctors are more likely to receive preventative care, and Spanish-speaking patients report higher satisfaction with physicians who share their first language. Yet, Latinos only represent 6% of physicians, while Black physicians make up less than 6%, and Native American, Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander doctors account for less than 1%. The lack of representation isn’t just a workforce issue – it directly impacts health outcomes.
At JPAFHC, we see the positive impacts of representation on health outcomes. A prime example is our recent Diabetes Management Initiative, where over 500 high-risk patients, most of whom were people of color, successfully improved their health outcomes. Spearheaded by Dr. Kecia Ford, a Black doctor, the initiative focused on combating diabetes and improving chronic disease, specifically through the lens of our community, to ensure its success.
But diversity without assured access still leaves gaps—they must go hand-in-hand to cement a community’s best outcomes. That’s why we offer services like free screenings, telehealth, and culturally competent care to reduce barriers and build trust. True equity requires access that meets people where they are and a diverse staff equipped to serve them with empathy and insight.
The U.S. faces a looming physician shortage, with projections estimating potential deficits of tens of thousands of physicians and nurses by 2036. This undoubtedly will only exacerbate existing disparities, which, in addition to recent policies that curtail efforts related to diversity in medicine, is particularly worrisome.
We believe that if the U.S. wants to get serious about eliminating health disparities, we must work to expand diversity throughout our healthcare workforce, increase access to care, and ensure that medical research reflects the full diversity of our country. Representation in healthcare isn’t just important – it’s life-saving.
Dr. Ifeanyi Oguagha serves as the Medical Director of the Adult and Family Medicine Practice at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center, which operates locations in Arverne, Far Rockaway, Jamaica and Brooklyn. Since joining the center in 2018, he has been dedicated to delivering compassionate, culturally responsive care to patients of all backgrounds. A first-generation Nigerian American, Dr. Oguagha earned his medical degree magna cum laude from the American University of Antigua and completed both his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatrics at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.