Addressing Structural Racism and Systemic Inequities During COVID-19

Garth Walker, MD, MPH, is an emergency room physician in Chicago, the chief medical officer and head of innovation for Clinify Inc., and the chief equity officer of Illinois Medical Professionals Action Collaborative Team, also known as IMPACT. In this episode, we discuss the two public health crises currently facing the nation, structural racism and its impact on health care, and a path forward.

Intro :13

About Dr. Walker :18

The interview 2:35

How did you become an ER physician and involved in so many initiatives? 2:45

Are you on a path you foresaw for yourself as a child? 8:28

How are you helping patients and friends navigate the intersection of two public health crises? 11:23

Some people don’t take a stand unless they feel it directly effects them 20:12

Why do you think the death of George Floyd has led to such unification? 23:00

How much of this do you think is happening without being reported? 28:50

Are you starting to see changes you think might lead to future structural changes? 32:18

How can people be allies without it seeming like lip service? 41:15

I’m hopeful that we’ll come out of this stronger and more unified 44:31

What are your takeaways? 49:21

How to find Dr. Walker on social media 51:32

We’d love to hear from you! Send your comments/questions to oncologyoverdrive@healio.com. Follow us on Twitter @HemOncToday @ShikhaJainMD @garthwalkermd

Garth Walker, MD, is an emergency medicine specialist, researcher, and innovator in Chicago with academic, non-profit, and private sector experience in both start-ups and impact investing. He is an attending physician at the Jesse Brown Veteran Affairs Hospital and an health equity fellow with the Northwestern Emergency Department and Northwestern Buehler Center for health economics and policy.  He is also a co-founder, chief medical officer and head of innovation for Clinify Inc.

Disclosures: Jain reports she is a paid freelance writer for Lippincott. Walker reports he has equity in Clinify Inc.