Back toMedically reviewed in December 2021
Without proper representation, a void of consequence is created for the patient.
Transcript
One of the greatest challenges that I see is representation.
What do you feel like is the biggest bucket that, if we at the end of this call, could actually come up with solutions, what would it target?
I do some advocacy work and mentoring with the National Psoriasis Foundation.
And one of the greatest complaints of a lot of patients is that there is lack of representation
and understanding, and often misdiagnosis, especially with the skin conditions such as psoriasis,
where it does look different in black skin versus white skin.
When I experienced a flare-up that I experienced, it was unlike what I've ever experienced in life. And I was just trying to find anybody,
anyone that could relate to what I was going through. Because it's very difficult to navigate
when there's not an understanding, just based off of differences. From a cultural standpoint and from a trust standpoint,
it's important that we have appropriate representation across various specialties in medicine.
And when that is lacking, there's automatically sort of a void and a consequence
that follows that. And so that's one of the biggest barriers,
is really that lack of representation. And how about you, Afshin? Did you find yourself having to advocate for yourself
in a space where people didn't necessarily share your same, either culture or understand what you
were trying to relate what you were going through as a patient? Yeah, definitely. I think even just when I was younger,
my parents just weren't aware, as immigrants coming in, you don't really have the access to the knowledge.
So for me it was just lack of health insurance. And that is just something that I'm
continuing to find as a hurdle. Because you have to work full-time in order to get health insurance.
But with your diseases, you often can't work full-time. And that, to me has become the biggest hurdle,
especially in the last two years with COVID. Being on immunosuppressive medications, I'm not safe going back out in person.
