Dr. King's Dream and the Fight for Health Equity Continues

While many Western New Yorkers today are basking in celebration of a Buffalo Bills’ playoff victory (Go Bills!), it would be remiss of any of us to not pause and reflect on another celebration.

Yesterday was a day set aside to remember and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who envisioned a profound unity – a nation where health care wouldn't be yet another line of division.

However, despite the leadership and advocacy of Dr. King and other leaders of the Civil Rights movement, divisions still exist within our society. We have to look no further than last December, when a blizzard not unlike the one that blanketed our region this past weekend, resulted in more than three dozen deaths, a disproportionate number of whom were Black or elderly.

The blizzard highlighted how systemic issues like social isolation and lack of resources disproportionately still impact marginalized communities in Buffalo.

Recognizing these disparities fuels our work at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, where we are on the frontlines of closing that gap.  

We're actively tackling the "triple evils" impacting health: poverty, racism, and violence. We strategize against health disparities, fueled by Dr. King's spirit of service and justice.

The university’s Community Health Equity Research Institute recently launched its first-ever pilot funding program to address health disparities and adverse social determinants of health. Initiatives like the UB Veggie Van study, the annual Igniting Hope Conference, and the Beyond the Knife lecture series demonstrate a strong commitment to health equity. These programs expand access to care, engage communities, and connect patients to the resources they need.

While football unites Buffalo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. envisioned a grander unity. Let us carry Dr. King's torch and advocate for access to quality care for all, fight against discrimination in health care, and treat every patient with the dignity and respect they deserve.


Allison Brashear, MD, MBA
Vice President of Health Sciences
Dean, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
University at Buffalo