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Head and Neck Cancer
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Educational content from recorded physician discussions — not medical advice. Always talk to your child's care team about your child's situation.
Content of this collection
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. — Kevin Sykes, Understanding Health Equity Research w/ Kevin Sykes, PhD, MPH | BackTable ENT Podcast Ep. 152 · 25:28
Health Equity Collaborative in ENT w/ Dr. Alexander Chiu & Dr. Romaine Johnson | ENT Podcast Ep. 98
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video41:23 · Jun 2026
Understanding Health Equity Research w/ Kevin Sykes, PhD, MPH | BackTable ENT Podcast Ep. 152
Watch →
video1:01:22 · Jun 2026
Ep. 98 Health Equity Collaborative in ENT with Dr. Alexander Chiu and Dr. Romaine Johnson
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In this episode of BackTable ENT, Dr. Gopi Shah, Dr. Romaine Johnson (UT Southwestern), and Dr. Alex Chiu (University of Kansas) discuss health disparities rese
podcast41:15 · Jun 2026
Invisible injuries like concussive injuries and PTSD are often more impactful than visible injuries but don't show unless you specifically look for or question about them. — Diana Ponsky, Surgeon Diana Ponsky: Wrong Labels and Winning Despite Them with Linda Kreter · 23:25
Surgeon Diana Ponsky: Wrong Labels and Winning Despite Them with Linda Kreter
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Linda Kreter and WiseHealth for Women Radio presents an invigorating and thoughtful conversation with Dr. Diana Ponsky, Diana has a background of challenge: bo
podcast34:11 · Jun 2026
Expert statements from the recordings in this collection.
Health Equity Collaborative in ENT w/ Dr. Alexander Chiu & Dr. Romaine Johnson | ENT Podcast Ep. 98
Equity requires providing different levels of support based on individual circumstances to achieve optimal health, unlike equality which provides the same resources to all.
Alex Chiu4:45
African American black patients consent less to surgery for head and neck cancer and have poorer outcomes when case-controlled for tumor staging, based on data published in 2012.
Host summaryAlex Chiu summarizes what Dr. Romaine Johnson said — not the host's own clinical position10:48
Current otolaryngology literature focuses heavily on documenting disparities (e.g., Black children having more severe sleep apnea and higher revision rates) but lacks intervention studies to reduce these disparities.
Romaine Johnson9:02
Language barriers contribute to increased emergency room visits and phone calls after pediatric tonsillectomy when post-operative instructions are not provided in the patient's preferred language.
Romaine Johnson9:36
Implementing language-preference tracking and providing instructions in preferred languages reduced emergency room visits and phone calls after tonsillectomy at Children's Hospital Dallas.
Romaine Johnson9:54
The Health Equity Collaborative was founded in February 2022 with six initial institutions including University of Mississippi, Henry Ford, Atlanta Georgia, University of Maryland Baltimore, and University of Kansas.
Alex Chiu12:15
The collaborative now includes approximately 20 academic programs with varying degrees of involvement.
Alex Chiu20:24
Qualitative research using structured interviews is difficult and requires discipline to identify themes across 40 participants.
High-impact journals show reluctance to publish qualitative studies despite their value in understanding patient and trainee experiences.
Mixed methodology papers combining qualitative and quantitative data were developed partly as a response to editorial preferences for hard data.
Caregiver research for medically complex conditions is woefully understudied despite its potential impact on patient outcomes.
Community participatory research requires talking to patients to understand what they want from research and how it will impact them locally.
Alex Chiu18:21
The American Academy of Otolaryngology received a grant from GSK to fund a core award for three years of health disparities research.
Alex Chiu19:40
Otolaryngology has the least representation of underrepresented minorities among medical specialties.
Alex Chiu29:18
Orthopedic surgery's Nth Dimension program has been more successful than otolaryngology initiatives in recruiting people of color over the past five years.
Alex Chiu26:03
Patient non-compliance with medications or treatment recommendations often stems from distrust, access barriers, or inadequate explanation rather than forgetfulness or unwillingness.
Alex Chiu32:05
Public health departments and family medicine have more developed infrastructure for equity work than otolaryngology and can provide expertise in participatory research methods.
Research shows that individuals who achieve elite status tend to become more interested in maintaining that status over time rather than maintaining their original idealistic goals.
Host summaryRomaine Johnson summarizes what Dr. Alex Chiu said — not the host's own clinical position37:15
The collaborative's initial funding strategy of paying participants for their time and providing elaborate meals was not effective.
Structured interview questions used in residency applicant selection can assess work ethic, communication skills, problem-solving ability, and resilience to adversity better than board scores and letters of recommendation.
Understanding Health Equity Research w/ Kevin Sykes, PhD, MPH | BackTable ENT Podcast Ep. 152
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.
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.
Kevin Sykes8:06
Life expectancy differences across zip codes are linked to socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, education levels, healthcare access, historical redlining, and segregation.
Kevin Sykes8:45
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.'
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.
Kevin Sykes11:25
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.
Kevin Sykes12:59
If diversity is absent from clinical trials, we cannot be confident that interventions are effective for all populations or that data are generalizable.
Kevin Sykes14:09
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.
Kevin Sykes15:17
Community health workers understand their populations better than researchers and can craft culturally appropriate messaging to encourage research participation.
Kevin Sykes16:09
Health equity research is more difficult and takes more time; budgets must include appropriate compensation for participants and recognize transportation barriers.
Kevin Sykes16:33