With a focus on health during Black History Month, a conversation on addressing disparities in care

Feb 9, 2022 | Jennifer O'Hara | @jenohara | Comments (1)

Each February, Black History Month is celebrated to recognize the important role Black people have played in U.S. history.

"Black history is American history, and everyone should celebrate our history 365 days a year," explains Dr. Folakemi Odedina, a Mayo Clinic prostate cancer scientist and global health equity researcher.

This year's theme for Black History Month is "Black Health and Wellness." This theme acknowledges the legacy of Black scholars and medical practitioners.

"It is really about time that we focus on Black health and wellness because our community is disproportionately experiencing health disparities," says Dr. Odedina. "We have to recognize that there are multiple dimensions of wellness."

According to Dr. Odedina, dimensions of health and wellness include physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and environmental, and social health.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Odedina discusses the factors responsible for health disparities in the Black community and shares how her work supports health and wellness for Black people.

To practice safe social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, this interview was conducted using video conferencing. The sound and video quality are representative of the technology used. For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.