Kevin Sykes

114 statements · 2 topics · summaries given as host listed separately

Featured statements

are we using race as a proxy for socioeconomics? Are we using race as a proxy for racism? Are we using race as a proxy for some other form of oppression? If that's the case, then we should ask questions about oppression and we should not ask questions about race.

quote · Head and Neck Cancer

one of the things that we did was apply a health equity component or a social determinants of health component to Eminem presentations, and you say like what are the potential contributors to this circumstance. It's an easy change, but it's really important.

quote · Head and Neck Cancer

the two zip codes that we work in the most have a life expectancy of 68 years. Our mean life expectancy of 68 years. But then when you move one zip code to the north, it increases to 76. If we go to zip codes to the north, it jumps to 90.

quote · HIV

there's some data out there to support the fact that our black African American individuals and populations choose surgery less often than other populations. In the context of head and neck cancer, and that's a very nuanced question

quote · HIV

Nothing matches these filters — clear the search or widen the filters.

Kevin's statements about Head and Neck Cancer 57 statements

Open the Head and Neck Cancer collection →

Understanding Health Equity Research w/ Kevin Sykes, PhD, MPH | BackTable ENT Podcast Ep. 152

Quotation if I'm interviewing you and there's a point at which you say something and you get emotional and you take a pause because you need to collect yourself, I'm going to make a note of that in my transcript. Open

Quotation I'm a cisgender white man and my lived experience doesn't always reflect the experiences of some of the communities that I work in. Open

Statement Sykes discloses that he is a cisgender white man and that his lived experience does not always reflect the experiences of the communities he works in, which may introduce bias into his work. Open

Statement Life expectancy varies dramatically by zip code; in Sykes's current work area, mean life expectancy is 68 years in two zip codes, 76 years one zip code north, and 90 years two zip codes north. Open

Quotation the two zip codes that we work in the most have a life expectancy of 68 years. Our mean life expectancy of 68 years. But then when you move one zip code to the north, it increases to 76. If we go to zip codes to the north, it jumps to 90. Open

Statement Life expectancy differences across zip codes are linked to socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, education levels, healthcare access, historical redlining, and segregation. Open

Statement The term 'social determinants of health' is falling out of favor because 'determinant' implies inflexibility; alternatives include 'social drivers of health' or 'social inhibitors to health.' Open

Statement Health disparities are the metrics used to evaluate differences in health values; health equity refers to a consistent level of health and access to resources regardless of social determinants. Open

Quotation oftentimes when you read research around health disparities, the racial categories are aggregated into groups because of numbers. Open

Statement Aggregating racial categories into 'other' or 'everybody else' groups in research hinders the ability to see inequities, particularly in relatively rare cancers like head and neck cancer. Open

Quotation If our diversity is absent from clinical trials, then we can't be confident that those interventions are effective for all populations and that. Data that we've generated are generalizable. Open

Statement If diversity is absent from clinical trials, we cannot be confident that interventions are effective for all populations or that data are generalizable. Open

Statement Large databases like the National Cancer Database or SEER may not be representative of safety-net community hospitals or areas where historically minoritized communities seek care. Open

Quotation we use community health workers because their their awareness of what's going on in their population. That they work in or that they relate to most when they understand that better than we do Open

Statement Community health workers understand their populations better than researchers and can craft culturally appropriate messaging to encourage research participation. Open

Statement Health equity research is more difficult and takes more time; budgets must include appropriate compensation for participants and recognize transportation barriers. Open

Quotation this work is more difficult and it takes more time. And we have to build our budgets in a way on a research study that includes appropriate compensation for participation that recognizes transportation barriers Open

Statement Community health workers should be included as key personnel with full-time equivalent roles in research teams, not just paid hourly for attendance, because they are essential to study design, recruitment, analysis, and dissemination. Open

Statement Gender categories in research have evolved from four (man, woman, trans man, trans woman) to many more, requiring inclusive options and allowing participants to contribute their own definitions. Open

Quotation if we only have one representative from that particular community or that particular identity, then what can we say? And how do we say that or how do we try to say something about that without identifying them Open

Statement If a researcher does not intend to disaggregate data by race, they should not collect race data, as it may bias analysis or create confusion without adding value. Open

Quotation if your intent is not to Disaggregate your data in a particular way around race, I would just skip it. If you don't have a reason that race in and of itself is playing a role in your particular outcome, then you should just not collect that data Open

Quotation are we using race as a proxy for socioeconomics? Are we using race as a proxy for racism? Are we using race as a proxy for some other form of oppression? If that's the case, then we should ask questions about oppression and we should not ask questions about race. Open

Statement Researchers should ask whether they are using race as a proxy for socioeconomics, racism, or oppression; if so, they should measure those constructs directly rather than race. Open

Statement Health equity research requires accepting lower statistical power to achieve realistic recruitment goals within budget and time constraints. Open

Quotation we may have to accept lower power in order to achieve reasonable recruitment goals within the constructs of whatever the budget may be Open

Statement Researchers must avoid sacrificing diversity of the study population in order to meet recruitment targets. Open

Statement Study materials must be available in multiple languages, appropriate for low literacy settings, and administered in private settings if questions address socially undesirable topics like drug use. Open

Quotation This is a validated instrument, and I will always ask the question of in what context? It was validated, but was it validated in a population that's similar to my population? If that's not true, then frankly, the conversations about your validity are moot. Open

Statement A validated instrument may not be valid in a population different from the one in which it was validated; researchers must re-validate instruments in their target population. Open

Quotation when we sacrifice depth for breadth. When we go, which would be quantitative versus qualitative, then we often miss the point. Open

Statement Qualitative research provides depth that quantitative surveys cannot; it allows researchers to understand the 'why' behind disparities and informs the design of quantitative studies. Open

Statement Semi-structured interviews allow questions to flow conversationally rather than in a fixed order, which is important for exploring participants' lived experiences. Open

Statement Data suggest that Black and African American individuals choose surgery less often than other populations in the context of head and neck cancer, a nuanced question requiring qualitative methods to understand. Open

Quotation there's some data out there to support the fact that our black African American individuals and populations choose surgery less often than other populations. In the context of head and neck cancer, and that's a very nuanced question Open

Statement The goal of qualitative research is exploration of a concept or phenomenon, not generalizability. Open

Quotation your goal of a qualitative study is never generalizability. Your goal is exploration of a concept or a phenomenon. Open

Statement Qualitative analysis involves verbatim transcription, field notes documenting emotional moments, dual independent coding, thematic saturation, and member checking to validate themes with participants. Open

Quotation Research is about a relationship and if we don't build relationships with our participants, then we have no opportunity to to allow them to contribute to the work Open

Statement Research is about building relationships with participants; without proper relationships, researchers cannot be confident that participants' responses reflect their true experiences. Open

Statement Physicians are well-positioned to advocate for marginalized populations with policymakers because policymakers will listen to them. Open

Quotation Physicians are particularly well positioned to have these conversations with their Policymakers at the state, at the local, state and federal level because they will listen to you. Open

Statement In Indiana, researchers used county-level life expectancy data to secure bipartisan investment in public health infrastructure by framing it in terms of economic benefit and family ties, which resonated with Republican policymakers. Open

Statement Public health funding typically surges during crises (pandemics, bioterrorism) and then evaporates, creating gaps in infrastructure; sustainable funding is needed to maintain progress. Open

Quotation we have to figure out how do we use data that's going to mean something to this particular policymaker and how do we tell that story with a lens or through a megaphone, if you will, that's going to speak to them and that they're going to hear Open

Statement Medical students today are more sensitive to health disparities than previous generations due to greater media exposure and globalized society. Open

Quotation our student populations today are more sensitive to this, are more aware of the differences in lives and the differences in quality of life Open

Quotation We need health equity researchers speaking to medical students. We need to invite them to grand rounds. We need to change our M&M to include questions about health equity. Open

Statement Medical education must include health equity researchers in grand rounds, add health equity components to morbidity and mortality conferences, and continuously expose trainees to disparities. Open

Statement At the University of Kansas, Dr. Carrie Francis led the addition of a social determinants of health component to M&M presentations, asking 'what are the potential contributors to this circumstance?' Open

Quotation one of the things that we did was apply a health equity component or a social determinants of health component to Eminem presentations, and you say like what are the potential contributors to this circumstance. It's an easy change, but it's really important. Open

Statement The inaugural GSK Health Equity grant aims to establish an expert consensus on a uniform data set for measuring health disparities in head and neck cancer, allowing tracking of improvements or expansions of disparities over time. Open

Quotation many of the publications on health disparities have done a great job of laying out the groundwork for interventions, but they haven't actually tested them. Open

Quotation our first aim is to establish an expert consensus on the uniform data set for health disparities measurement in head and neck cancer. Open

Statement The second aim of the GSK grant is to apply the uniform data set in a prospective multi-center observational study to predict higher stage at presentation with head and neck cancer and assess barriers to timely radiotherapy after surgery. Open

Statement The GSK grant project uses a pragmatic design to understand real-world barriers to care, not the controlled conditions of a clinical trial, in order to predict which patients face barriers to surveillance and downstream treatments. Open

Quotation We want pragmatic data to support the argument that health disparities are real, underrepresentation is real, and in the pragmatic setting we can still predict whether or not someone has faced a bunch of barriers getting to care Open

Kevin's statements about HIV 57 statements

Open the HIV collection →