The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) is proud to welcome Dr. Brian L. Harper to the newly formed Diversity Strategy Committee, which will expand on APDA’s educational materials, methods and delivery mechanisms to reach underserved audiences.
As the Medical Director of the APDA Information & Referral Center at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, NY, Dr. Harper brings a wealth of expertise to the committee. He is a colleague of Dr. Harold Freeman, who was the founding pioneer of patient navigation. Dr. Harper worked alongside Dr. Freeman in promoting this model of care at the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care & Prevention in Harlem, NY.
Dr. Harper’s engagement will enhance APDA’s efforts to identify patients not accessing quality PD care, and to learn how we can most effectively extend our vital services to those groups.
Identifying Key Issues for Diverse PD Populations
Dr. Harper has seen how poorer communities, African Americans, and Latinos are provided lower quality of medical care than the general population. He was eager to learn if these same disparities affect the lives of PD patients.
“My involvement in APDA’s I&R Center and participation on this diversity committee compelled me to look more closely at PD,” Dr. Harper says. “Social determinants, including culture, can have a major impact on health. In the U.S. we are so culturally diverse, that it is important to have an understanding of how diseases can manifest in different communities.”
The Diversity Strategy Committee has identified some key initiatives that will inform the way health disparities in the PD community are addressed. According to Dr. Harper, the two main issues are awareness of PD in certain populations, and physicians’ understanding of the disease.
Leading the Way to Improved Outcomes for PD Patients
Dr. Harper believes that we can spread awareness of PD more effectively by rethinking the way we talk about the disease and targeting populations that don’t typically receive this kind of information.
“We need to tailor our messages to a given community to make them aware of PD and encourage them to see a clinician,” he says.
The committee also aims to ensure that, once patients see their clinicians, they are given accurate diagnoses and referrals to specialists so that they can start on the path to the best possible outcomes.
“We want to make sure that our local clinicians are educated about PD, how to make a diagnosis, and what resources are available to help,” explains Dr. Harper.
We are confident that, with experts like Dr. Harper by our side, we can help more people with PD access the care needed to live life to the fullest.