Discovering YOU Magazine December 2024 Issue | Page 13

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

education on the journey people with skin of color face and the understanding of eczema by collaborating to develop educational webinars and training modules.

* Empowering the patient voice to increase understanding of common care challenges so people can make their needs known and actively partner to find impactful solutions. For example, Lilly surveyed over 1,200 adults with dermatologic conditions to highlight challenges and foster discussion among health care providers, patients, and community members.

There is a lot of work left to be done, but first we need to address the critical health disparities in the field of dermatology for people with eczema and skin of color.

"At Lilly, we strive to be a leader in addressing the health needs of underserved populations. We are dedicated to creating meaningful change and amplifying the voices of these underserved patients and raising awareness of the challenges they face," shared Dr. Rueda.

Resources to help you decide what treatment is right for you

Lilly's website features more information about the company's commitment to health equity and how Lilly is advancing care in dermatology. For more

willing to help."

Dr. Maria Jose Rueda, M.D., head of dermatology medical affairs at Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and trained dermatologist, has seen firsthand how the lack of education for health care providers can unintentionally lead to a feeling of judgement and mistrust among patients. "The issue is that some people don't trust health care providers and the system and aren't able to find a provider who knows about their type of skin and understands the differences that they may have. Gaps in care have four major root causes including cultural diversity, socioeconomic disadvantages, racial/ethnic biases and inadequate training for health care providers or lack of research including underrepresentation in medical research. At Lilly, we are working with some of the most prominent experts in the field to educate and address some of these gaps."

Making a change

Lilly is focused on creating solutions that strengthen the relationship between health care providers and patients with eczema by advancing treatment conversations and opening the lines of communication between both groups. For example, Lilly is:

* Engaging in impactful research that improves patient care to increase understanding of clinical management from diagnosis to treatment such as conducting a clinical trial specifically for people of color with eczema.

* Supporting health care providers with