COVID-19 has brought to light long-standing social and health inequities that are causing the disease to disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minority groups, who have experienced disproportionate rates of infection, hospitalization and death. As Chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards, Cheryl Walker-McGill, MD, of Charlotte has focused on helping to increase access to care during the pandemic, especially in rural and underserved communities.

"An important step to increasing access to care involves educating both clinicians and regulators about the biases and inequities that exist in health care and identifying potential solutions to overcome them," said Dr. Walker-McGill, who served with NCMB from 2011-2015, including a term as Board President from 2014-2015.

To that end, the FSMB, will present a symposium on Jan. 26 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. EST, "Health Equity and Medical Regulation: How Disparities are Impacting U.S. Health Care Quality and Delivery and Why It Matters". The online symposium will include presentations by keynote speakers Marc Morial, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League, and Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, Director of the Duke-Robert J. Margolis Center for Health Policy, along with a moderated panel-discussion featuring experts in health equity. The symposium is free and up to three hours of AMA/PRA Category 1 CME is available. Register now.