Disparities and Biases in Healthcare – Dr. Sheila Dugan MD

Dr. Sheila Dugan M.D.

A board certified Physiatrist and the current medical director of PM&R at Rush University, Dr. Dugan is not just a physician but a huge advocate for many causes including healthcare disparities and women’s health. She currently serves as the chair of the Rush Women’s Leadership Council and is on both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Diversity Leadership committees. Through her work on projects such as the WISHFIT and SWAN projects among other research initiatives, Dr. Dugan has made a tremendous impact on addressing disparities within healthcare. 

In this episode Dr. Dugan discusses her path into medicine from physical therapy, and how that path led to being a leader in the field of women’s health and her interest in healthcare disparities. We discuss common misconceptions within women’s health as well as how we can combat them with regards to preventive care. Dr. Dugan discusses her experiences working with underserved communities in Chicago and the barriers to preventive medicine that these communities encounter. Listen on to discover why not everyone can access or practice preventive medicine and how we don’t all live the same life experiences in this episode!

Show Notes

(1:00 – 6:30) – Introductions

Question 1: What part of your journey has been the most impactful thus far? Has there been a shining moment?

(6:30 – 14:00)

Question 2: What does preventive medicine mean to you?

Question 3: What made you go into physical therapy initially and why did you switch to medicine after that?

Question 4: Where does your interest and advocacy for women’s health come from?

(14:00 – 19:00)

Question 5: Have you noticed any specific biases against women within the current medical paradigm?

Question 6: Why is addressing women’s health so important?

Question 7: How do you prevent atherosclerosis in women given that it has a rapid onset and progression after menopause?

Question 8: Is there a specific age that women should start implementing preventive interventions?

(19:00 – 22:30)

Question 9: What are some of the biggest misconceptions regarding women’s health?

Question 10: Are there any large misconceptions for women going through menopause or during middle age?

(22:30 – 33:30)

Question 11: How does preventive medicine relate to issues of the pelvic floor that many women experience?

Question 12: How do you combat the many misconceptions about the pelvic floor such as the one-stop prescription of performing Kegels?

Question 13: What do you tell females at the various stages of life if they ask your for advice on how to be healthy? Young females? Middle-aged females? Older females?

(33:30 – 42:00)

Question 14: Where is the starting point for the many communities that don’t have access to the same resources as others and are under served?

Question 15: Can you talk specifically about what some of the barriers are that some of these communities face?

Question 16: Do you have any potential solutions other than what you have already done for addressing the healthcare barriers seen by communities in Chicago?

(42:00 – 45:00)

Question 17: What do you tell someone in two minutes that is asking you how to get healthy?

 

Leave a Reply