5 June 2006: Getting Oriented

Today we were up early once again to meet with the other directors of the
program and get a better understanding of what we will be doing while
we are here.  We also met the instructors of the classes we are taking,
had a tour of the area, and had our various IDs made for the buildings
we will be in. The largest and most substantive portion of the day was
spent at a Anti-Racism meeting to which we were invited.

The focus of the group was looking at social determinants of context that
influence disparities in health care that target specific racial or economic
status groups.  I had always agreed that economic status influenced the
health care that you receive.  I had never thought of racism as a influence,
especially in the various constructs to which they were referring. The
obvious context what that institutionalized racism strips health care from
individuals in a hospital or clinic.  Beyond that, racism alone increases
the amounts of stress on an individual actually causing a lower level of
health for that individual.  The concept of such social constructs creating
a diminished quality of life in the aspect of health is eye-opening.  Such
obviously demands a solution and social reform.  The argument that
correcting racism because of the cruelty of it no longer stands solely
- we are hurting people both emotionally and physically with racism.

The main idea that I formulated was that the social system that we have
developed in this country drives people to form into some sort of tiered
social status system made up of specific requirements and levels.  This
attempts to squeeze the unique qualities and properties of each of our
individualism and fit them into some "cookie-cutter" social status tier that
just doesn't fit.  It applies a stressor that is not satisfiable on a group
of people.  Such a stressor diminishes the quality of life and therefore the
health of the individuals.  Such examples are getting people to fit in or
get a specific job, achieve a certain credential, or have certain networking
or friends.  Such unspoken social demands suggest that we all will go about
achieving our personal success into one of these tiers.  This is unfeasible
and is a tough question and problem that has no direct solution.

After the Anti-Racism seminar, we had dinner with the group and then
returned back to the MCPHS.  During the day we were also assigned our
research projects, I'll be working on the Genetic Determinants of
Alcoholism.  We will use various methods to analyze a large data set of
family traits and diagnosis to track the possible existence of a  DNA based
gene that dispositions one for Alcoholism.  Tomorrow I'll know more about
the project and the course we will be taking to research it.

Don't Drink!