Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Point Of Care Technology For Underserved Populations, Anna Maloney

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

Point of Care technology is an emerging healthcare field. This technology allows for rapid, inexpensive, on-site testing for otherwise lengthy and costly laboratory tests. Leading infectious diseases can be tested immediately in non-invasive ways similar to using a pregnancy test. This inexpensive, highly portable, and extremely accurate technology should be used for populations that have historically lacked access. Such access would result in immediate cost savings and life savings.

Underserved populations in America such as migrant workers or people living in poverty rarely receive the testing they require. Although clinics for illegal immigrants exist where they are protected and cannot …

The Road To A Happier Health Care System: Lessons From Denmark, Deanna Karam

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

The lack of an organized primary care system in the United States not only contributes to high health care costs, but also to decreased access to care, increased fragmentation, and poor health outcomes. The Scandinavian country of Denmark, with its universal health care system and “cozy and snug” lifestyle offers a model for reforming the US health care system. In Denmark, primary care is organized around a gatekeeping system, in which General Practitioners serve as gatekeepers to other medical services, including hospitals and specialists. This system is responsible for Denmark’s well-organized and coordinated primary care system, which largely contributes to …

Defining Obesity: An Argument For The Social Environment Perspective, Meghan Mcinnis

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

It is well documented that obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. and worldwide. By 2010, 35.9% of U.S. adults age 20 and older were obese (Overweight and Obesity, CDC). Obesity has been associated with many health problems, including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, stroke, and cardiac disease (Lucey, 2008, p.202). What has just been described is the traditional, medicalized narrative of obesity. In this narrative, obesity is viewed as an epidemic that demands an immediate and widespread response (Lucey, 2008, p.202). The blame is placed largely on individuals, while social factors, such as socioeconomic status and neighborhood environment, …

Conspicuous Consumption And Comparison Leading Towards Cosmetic Cures, Joanna Rydzefski

Annual Undergraduate Conference on Health and Society

No abstract provided.