Cedric Bright, M.D., was installed as the 112th president of the National Medical Association July 26 during the NMA Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly. Read More...

National Institutes of Health Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., reported that the NIH has "fallen way short" in its goals to achieve diversity in the research work force. He expressed his disappointment with this current status quo during his presentation, "Health Disparities Research and the Need for Diversity in the U.S. Biomedical Workforce," at the July 27 NMA House of Delegates session. Read More...

Behavior, largely driven by mental health factors, accounts for 40 percent of the difference in health outcomes, compared to biology at 15-20 percent and environment at 25 percent. Read More...

From chemicals in plastics to pesticides in common use to reduced quality of air and water, environmental threats affect everyday life, and low-income communities are disproportionately bearing the brunt of these threats. Three speakers during the special session "Environmental Health" focused on these threats and their influence on the African-American community. Read More...

The role of the physician in diagnosing and treating HIV/AIDS has changed in recent years. Four presentations at the July 26 HIV/AIDS Symposium for Primary Care examined how physicians could help reduce HIV/AIDS in the African-American community, the development of a tool for recording a sexual history, how physicians can recommend testing and the potential liability in testing. Read More...

The battle over raising the U.S. debt ceiling kept several members of Congress from speaking at the NMA convention, but in the midst of the crisis, two members of the House of Representatives spoke at "Health Reform, Your Practice, Your Patients" on July 26. Read More...

Health care reform affects physicians in many ways, but perhaps the most immediate effect is the pressure to buy and use an electronic health record (EHR) system. Recommendations on EHR use were addressed July 27 in the keynote address of the Health Information Technology (HIT) Session. Read More...

Are you currently in the market to purchase a new home? If so, are you being flooded with conflicting information? Some feel it would be foolish to risk buying a home in a housing market that is staggering from record level foreclosures. Others believe, now is the best time to buy a home and realize the dream of a lifetime. Which side is right? The honest answer — it depends. Read More...

New Homeowner: It's 9:30 a.m., I'm getting ready for my appointment with my lender. I still don't understand why he needed so much paperwork. Maybe I should have asked, but he said everything so quickly and seemed to be bothered by my questions. Oh well, let me hurry up and get there. Read More...

Our nation is facing a critical time, as our economy is in the doldrums and families are facing financial challenges never before imagined. We drive through communities of all income levels and witness personal belongings piled high at the curb's edge, evidence of yet another family displaced by eviction or foreclosure. Our nation is facing a financial storm that many may not survive. Many ask, ‘What could have been done to help prevent such an economic disaster? Where do we go from here?' Why is it when we focus on the critical aspects of our life, we fail to adequately focus on managing our personal finances? Read More...