Dr. Rhea Boyd
Dr. Rhea W. Boyd is a pediatrician, medical educator, and child health advocate in the Bay Area. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee on Communications and Media, where she explores how digital clinical tools, interdisciplinary partnerships, and social media can incorporate diverse types of data and voices into traditional processes to improve health, particularly for communities of color.
Podcast Host Peter Eckart and Rhea Boyd discuss a multitude of current topics ranging from the changes in the current healthcare system during the time of COVID-19, racial bias, debunking the push for big data, intergenerational impacts of crises, and a new generation of organizations that fund with posterity in mind at the forefront of the mission.
Additional Resources:
- Rewatch Dr. Boyd’s memorable keynote speech at the 2019 All In National Conference.
- Learn more about Dr. Rhea Boyd.
- Follow Dr. Boyd on Twitter @RheaBoydMD
- Read up on racial inequality in the New Jim Code by Ruha Benjamin.
Takeaways from the Interview
In the words of Rhea Boyd…
1. Health inequality statistics during this pandemic are unsurprising, but we shouldn’t normalize them.
“We are in the midst of an epidemic inside of a pandemic going on for decades, if not centuries, in the United States…When we look specifically at death rates related to COVID, there are these reports that are surprising in a way to some people that again African Americans, LatinX populations, and indigenous populations… have increased rates of death and infection. For some people, it has been surprising, but for many of us who have done this work in our careers it’s not surprising, but that doesn’t mean it is normal.”
2. The pandemic is bringing about the realization of general truths on our present healthcare system.
“In the weeks and months leading up to what became this pandemic, in our own country, we still were unsure as a country, if we should have paid sick leave. People were still divided on whether we should have nationalized healthcare and whether everyone should be able to be treated if they were in a crisis. Now some of those things seem instantly clear. Without paid sick leave, it doesn’t just harm those whose industry lacks it, it is a risk to all of our health.”
3. We need a new generation of organizations that measure their work on an intergenerational value case level.
“We need both organizations and institutions that can directly treat people who are sick right now, who are going to provide housing support or income support for somebody who is in crisis right now. We also need a new generation of organizations that are thinking 10, 50, 100 years down the road. What does it mean to slowly unravel the hold that racism has on our society? Who is working on the intergenerational impact of our current crises?”