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Scholars continue work on health care disparities The Presidential Scholars Program, a yearlong interdisciplinary program for selected students in each MUSC college began in 2001 with the purpose of building interdisciplinary understanding of broad social issues impacting health and quality of life. Dr. Ray Greenberg, right, talks with (from left) scholars Catherine Hunter, Robert Salters and Walker Pendarvis. The program is an initiative of Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., president of MUSC, and Valerie West, Ed.D., associate professor for educational programs. The current 39 presidential scholars are building on the work of their predecessors, as they continue to study health care disparities. In interdisciplinary groups, they are focusing on issues identified by the previous group as having a role in disparities. The issues being considered this year are:  Cultural competence and working with the community  environmental justice  access to care  health care systems  individual and institutional social responsibility and  public and health professional education.  The groups preparing readings, post questions on WebCt, and lead discussions in the scholars monthly meetings. They also work with communities, patients and campus experts to further their understanding. The 2002-2003 class of presidential scholars began their work in August with an orientation and opening presentation by Greenberg and Nicole Redmond, a presidential scholar fellow. Matthew Jenny, Lesley Ogden and Christopher Crosby join Redmond as previous scholars who were selected as fellows to assist with the program this year. The scholars have been meeting monthly since August and continuing a lively debate and discussion on WebCT between meetings. Monthly speakers, meeting with special guests of the university, and an upcoming legislative visit to Columbia assist the scholars in their considerations and recommendations. Each scholar will also shadow a fellow scholar from another discipline to further build interdisciplinary understanding.  In addition to the fellows, several members of the Retired Faculty Organization have been devoting their time and enriching the program this year. Betty Bear, Ph.D., R.N., College of Nursing, and Sid Katz, Ph.D., College of Medicine and Graduate Studies, attend all session and facilitate group activity. Betty Ochoa, College of Dental Medicine, recently enlightened the group about the Hispanic culture and its influences on health care. A major challenge coming up for the scholars is the debate and discussion of their findings in order to reach consensus on major issues and recommendations that they will present at the culminating event for the program, Presidential Scholars Day, on April 3. The community will be invited to participate in the poster and formal presentations that day. Although it seems this group has just begun, the application process for the next class of presidential scholars will begin in January. Information sessions with faculty and current scholars will be held after the first of the year for potentially interested students. Faculty are encouraged to begin thinking of good candidates. .   Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.