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Mobilizing for Healthcare Justice
TOP OF MIND
I just got back from the National Medical Association’s Convention and Scientific Assembly. As a past NMA president, I always look forward to a chance to reconnect with the doctors, researchers, and advocates who’ve spent their careers fighting for the health of our communities.
This year’s theme said it all: “The New Reconstruction — Mobilizing Healthcare Justice for a New America: Our Patients, Providers, and Policy.” It’s a reminder that health equity takes more than pointing out the problem. It takes action, making sure our patients get the same quality of care everyone deserves, backing up the doctors who serve our communities, and pushing for policies that fix the root causes of unequal health.
And the research shared at this year’s assembly shows exactly why that fight still matters. Black Americans are still getting sicker, and dying sooner from things we know how to prevent. Asthma. Diabetes. Stroke. Heart disease. Prostate cancer. These aren’t just numbers in a report. They should shape how we treat patients, how we run our practices, and how we show up for our communities.
I also want to say thank you to outgoing NMA President Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr. for his years of leadership. And I’m excited to welcome Dr. Brandi Freeman as she steps into the role. The NMA has a proud history of advocacy, science, and service to Black physicians and patients, and I know that legacy is in good hands.
Stay Healthy,
Dr. Mike
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Study Finds Three Midlife Health Factors Could Delay Dementia for 13 Years
The Guardian, August 5, 2026 — reporting on research published in Neurology
[NEEDS LINK — could not resolve original Guardian URL]
Summary: A major long-term study found that avoiding three midlife cardiovascular risk factors—high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and smoking—was associated with nearly 13 additional years of life without dementia. The research also identified racial disparities: Black participants experienced fewer dementia-free years than White participants, underscoring the connection between cardiovascular risk, brain health and unequal health outcomes.
Why It Matters: Black Americans experience disproportionate rates of hypertension and diabetes—two of the three modifiable risk factors highlighted in the study. The findings show that aggressive prevention, earlier diagnosis and effective management of these conditions in midlife may have benefits far beyond heart health, potentially reducing or delaying dementia and helping close racial gaps in healthy aging.
Black People’s Risk Factors for Stroke “Rising Faster Than for White People”
The Guardian, July 28, 2026 — reporting on a 30-year South London Stroke Register analysis
Summary: A 30-year analysis found that major stroke risk factors, including diabetes and high blood pressure, are increasing faster among Black African and Caribbean populations than among White populations. Diabetes among Black African participants rose from 21% in 1995–2004 to 41% in 2015–2024. Black African people were also twice as likely to experience a stroke without previously diagnosed risk factors.
Why It Matters: The findings make a strong case for earlier screening and prevention in Black communities. High blood pressure and diabetes are treatable stroke risk factors, so identifying them sooner could prevent strokes, disability and premature deaths. The study also shows why screening guidelines may need to account for populations that develop elevated risk earlier.
From Birth Until Death: How the Ethnicity Pain Gap Follows People Through Life
The Guardian, July 2, 2026 — examining racial disparities in pain recognition and treatment
Summary: This recent report examines research showing persistent disparities in how pain is recognized and treated among Black and other minority ethnic patients across the lifespan, from childhood and maternity care to emergency medicine, chronic illness, cancer, and end-of-life care. The evidence described in the article shows that Black patients can have their pain underestimated or undertreated, including in conditions such as sickle cell disease.
Why It Matters: Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care, yet unequal assessment and treatment can affect trust, quality of life, recovery, and health outcomes. For Black patients, the findings reinforce the importance of confronting bias in clinical decision-making, improving provider education, and ensuring that reports of pain are evaluated and treated consistently and equitably.
Before the First Bell: A Pediatrician’s Back-to-School Food Allergy Checklist
By Michael A. LeNoir, MD
For most parents, getting a child ready for school means new clothes, school supplies, schedules, and transportation. But if your child has a food allergy, there is another checklist that may be far more important.
You need a plan for keeping your child safe when you are not there.
As a pediatrician and allergist, I have cared for children with food allergies for decades. One lesson is clear: the safest families are not necessarily the most frightened families. They are the families who are prepared.
1. Meet With the School Before There Is a Problem
Do not assume everyone knows about your child’s allergy.
Make sure the teacher, school nurse, coaches, after-school staff, and other adults responsible for your child know:
- What your child is allergic to
- What symptoms to watch for
- Where the child’s epinephrine is located
- What to do if a reaction occurs
- Who should be contacted in an emergency
Ask the school specifically: What is your food-allergy emergency policy?
2. Have a Written Allergy Action Plan
Verbal instructions are not enough.
Your child’s school should have clear written instructions describing the allergy, symptoms of a reaction, medications, and what staff should do in an emergency.
Update the plan at the beginning of each school year and whenever your child’s medical needs change.
3. Make Sure Epinephrine Is Accessible
In a serious allergic reaction, minutes matter.
Know exactly where your child’s epinephrine auto-injector is kept and who is trained to use it. It should be readily accessible in an emergency – not sitting somewhere that staff cannot quickly reach.
Check the expiration date before school starts.
Older children and teenagers may be able to carry their own epinephrine, depending on their maturity and school rules.
4. Teach Your Child, Too
Children should gradually become partners in managing their allergies.
A young child can learn: “This food is not safe for me.”
By elementary school, children can begin learning to ask about ingredients and recognize the early symptoms of a reaction.
Older children and teenagers should understand their allergy, know how and when to use epinephrine, and learn to speak up even when friends are around.
Peer pressure should never determine whether a child eats something that may be unsafe.
5. Don’t Forget the Cafeteria, Field Trips and Sports
The classroom is only one part of the school day.
Ask about food served in the cafeteria, classroom celebrations, field trips, sports, after-school activities, and food brought in by other families.
If necessary, provide safe alternatives so your child can participate rather than simply being excluded.
Food safety should protect children without taking away the joy of being a child.
6. Teach Your Child to Report Symptoms Immediately
Children sometimes hesitate to tell an adult because they don’t want attention or don’t want to be different.
Teach your child: Never hide an allergic reaction.
If their mouth feels funny, their throat feels tight, they develop hives, have trouble breathing, begin vomiting, feel faint, or experience other symptoms after eating, they should tell an adult immediately.
The Bottom Line
Parents cannot follow their children into every classroom, cafeteria, playground, or school bus.
That’s why preparation matters.
Before that first school bell rings, talk with your child, talk with the school, check the medications, and make sure everyone understands the emergency plan.
You don’t want the school developing a plan during your child’s allergic reaction.
Prepare before it happens.
A child with food allergies should be able to go to school with the same expectation as every other child: To learn, make friends, participate – and come home safely.
For more information, go to our website at www.aawellnessproject.org or listen to our podcast at Blackdoctorsspeak.org.
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