Hopkins Physician Researching Health Disparities Receives MacArthur Grant

Lisa Cooper, a Johns Hopkins University physician who studies the cultural and social aspects of minorities' health care outcomes, was one of 24 winners of a MacArthur Fellows Program grant, the Baltimore Sun reports. According to the Sun, recipients are "chosen for their creativity, the originality of their work and their potential to make important contributions in their fields" and can use the $500,000 grant "however they see fit -- no strings attached" (Roylance/Emery, Baltimore Sun, 9/25).

Through her research on racial health differences, Cooper found white physicians do not communicate as effectively with minority patients; minority patients play a lesser role than whites do in medical decisions; and when physicians and patients are of the same race, office visits are longer and more relaxed (Montgomery, Washington Post, 9/25). Cooper said she plans to use the MacArthur grant to expand her research to the developing world where minorities receive even poorer care. "This is a global problem," she said (Baltimore Sun, 9/25).

Broadcast coverage
NPR's "All Things Considered" on Tuesday included discussions with Cooper and three other grant recipients (Siegel, "All Things Considered," NPR, 9/25).

Audio of the segment is available online.