The Foot Soldiers - Part 1

Today we begin a series of conversations speaking with the foot soldiers, so to speak, of the AAOs Task Force on Disparities in Visual Health and Eye Care . These individuals were on the front lines of health equity research in ophthalmology before making their important contributions to the task force's work and have unique perspectives on their participation in the work done and the lessons learned along the way. In today's episode, I speak with  Dr. Cesar Briceno, an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology specializing in oculoplastics and orbital surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Victoria Tseng, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and a glaucoma specialist at UCLA. Both are rising stars in the field of ophthalmology and we had a wide-ranging discussion not only on their involvement in the AAOs DEI task force, but we also spoke in depth about exactly what social determinants of health are, the concept and impact of epigenetics on health care disparities, and more. 

Link to articles produced by the task force: https://www.aaojournal.org/dei

Dr. Cesar Briceno: https://www.pennmedicine.org/providers/profile/cesar-briceno

Dr. Victoria Tseng: https://www.uclahealth.org/providers/victoria-tseng