Here we provide quantitative data that supports the success of the training workshop model presented. Improvement in palliative care knowledge and treatment skills, as evidenced by the increased scores from pre- to post-test results, suggests the efficacy of this 2-day training program in advancing palliative care education of nurses. Given the unmet need for healthcare workers trained in palliative care, this model could serve as a valuable tool for expanding and strengthening the delivery of care in settings where patients have limited access to palliative care services.

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The fourth annual summer research summit organized by the Center of Excellence (COE) in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) was held on May 20, 2021. The theme of this year’s summit was ‘Strengthening Our Commitment to Racial and Social Justice to Improve Public Health.’ Given the ongoing pandemic, the summit was conducted virtually through digital platforms. This program was intended for both BCM and external audiences interested in advancing health equity, diversity and inclusion in healthcare among healthcare providers and trainees, biomedical scientists, social workers, nurses, individuals involved in talent acquisition and development such as hiring managers (HR professionals), supervisors, college and hospital affiliate leadership and administrators, as well as diversity and inclusion excellence practitioners. We had attendees from all regions of the United States, India, Pakistan and the Demographic Republic of the Congo. The content in this Book of Abstracts encapsulates a summary of the research efforts by the BCM COE scholars (which includes post-baccalaureate students, medical students, clinical fellows and junior faculty from BCM) as well as the external summit participants. The range of topics in this year’s summit was quite diverse encompassing disparities in relation to maternal and child health (MCH), immigrant heath, cancers, vaccination uptakes and COVID-19 infections. Various solutions were ardently presented to address these disparities including community engagement and partnerships, improvement in health literacy and development of novel technologies and therapeutics. With this summit, BCM continues to build on its long history of educational outreach initiatives to promote diversity in medicine by focusing on programs aimed at increasing the number of diverse and highly qualified medical professionals ready to introduce effective and innovative approaches to reduce or eliminate health disparities. These programs will improve information resources, clinical education, curricula, research and cultural competence as they relate to minority health issues and social determinants of health. The summit received very positive response in terms of zealous participation and outstanding evaluations; and overall, it was a great success.   Copyright © 2021 Lopez et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.

ObjectiveSickle cell disease (SCD) is a highly morbid condition notable for recurrent hospitalisations due to vaso-occlusive crises and complications of end organ damage. Little is known about the use of inpatient palliative care services in adult patients with SCD. This study aims to evaluate inpatient palliative care use during SCD-related hospitalisations overall and during terminal hospitalisations. We hypothesise that use of palliative care is low in SCD hospitalisations.DesignA retrospective cross-sectional study using data from the National Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2017 was conducted.SettingUS hospitals from 47 states and the District of Columbia.ParticipantsPatients >18 years old hospitalised with a primary or secondary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) or ICD-10-CM diagnosis of SCD were included.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPalliative care service use (documented by ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes V66.7 and Z51.5).Results987 555 SCD-related hospitalisations were identified, of which 4442 (0.45%) received palliative care service. Palliative care service use increased at a rate of 9.2% per year (95% CI 5.6 to 12.9). NH-black and Hispanic patients were 33% and 53% less likely to have palliative care services compared with NH-white patients (OR 0.67; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.99 and OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.84). Female patients (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.76), Medicaid use (OR 0.40; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.78), rural (OR 0.47; 95% CI 0.28 to 0.79) and urban non-teaching hospitals (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.80) each had a lower likelihood of palliative care services use.ConclusionUse of palliative care during SCD-related hospitalisations is increasing but remains low. Disparities associated with race and gender exist for use of palliative care services during SCD-related hospitalisation. Further studies are needed to guide evidence-based palliative care interventions for more comprehensive and equitable care of adult patients with SCD.

BACKGROUND Ovarian cancer ranks 12th in cancer incidence among women in the United States and 5th among causes of cancer related death. The typical treatment of ovarian cancer focuses on disease management, with little attention given to the survivorship needs of the patient. Qualitative work alludes to a gap in survivorship care, yet evidence is lacking to support delivery of survivorship care for individuals living with ovarian cancer. We developed the POSTCare survivorship platform with input from ovarian cancer survivors and care partners as a means of delivering patient-centered survivorship care. This process is framed on the chronic care model and relevant behavioral theory. OBJECTIVE The overall goal of this study is to test processes of care that support quality of life in survivorship. The specific aims are three-fold; first to test the efficacy of the POSTCare platform in supporting quality of life, reducing depressive symptom burden and reducing recurrence worry. In our second aim, we will examine factors that mediate the effect of the intervention. Our final aim focuses on understanding aspects of care platform design and delivery that may affect potential for dissemination. METHODS We will enroll 120 ovarian cancer survivors in a randomized controlled trial and collect data at 12 and 24 weeks. Each subject will be randomized to either the POSTCare platform or standard of care process for survivorship. Our subject population will be derived from 3 clinics in Texas; each subject will have received some combination of treatment modalities ; continued maintenance therapy is not exclusionary. RESULTS We will examine the impact of the POSTCare-O platform on quality of life at 12 weeks after intervention as the primary endpoint. We will look at secondary outcomes including depressive symptom burden, recurrence anxiety, and physical symptom burden. We will identify mediators important to the impact of the intervention to inform revisions of the intervention for subsequent study. CONCLUSIONS This study will contribute to the body of survivorship science by testing a flexible platform for survivorship care delivery adapted for the specific survivorship needs of ovarian cancer patients. Accomplishment of this project will help shift the paradigm of survivorship care to include persons living with cancer. CLINICALTRIAL ClincalTrials.gov