Health Disparities Q & A with Tracey Conti , MD
Dr . Tracey Conti , one of the region ’ s leading voices on health disparities , discusses her background , family medicine education , and new partnerships that are breaking down barriers to care .
“ I am seeing open and honest discussions happening in medicine like never before .”
Tracey Conti , MD , is executive vice chair of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and program director of the UPMC McKeesport Family Medicine Residency , which features Latterman Family Health Center in McKeesport as its clinical site . She also is board chair of the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians . Dr . Conti ’ s interests include health disparities and health care delivery to underserved communities , medical education , and women ’ s health issues .
What Inspired You to Become a Doctor ? As far back as I can remember , I wanted to be a doctor . My mother worked in the West Penn Hospital laundry . She ’ d point to the hospital across the street and say , “ Remember — that ’ s where you want to be .” She was raised by her grandparents on a working farm in South Carolina , and my dad was a Vietnam veteran . Both really valued learning , but neither had the opportunity to advance their education . They always encouraged me , saying , “ You have the ability and all the love in the world to do what you want to do .”
Why Did You Decide to Specialize in Family Medicine ? When I was in college , my parents adopted my brother . His mother had a substance use disorder , and he was prenatally exposed to the substance . That experience was formative : I realized that I wanted to take care of these mothers when they were pregnant — and then take care of their kids .
As a medical student at Temple University in Philadelphia , I learned that family doctors care for patients from birth to death , I knew that ’ s what I wanted to do .
When Did You First See Barriers to Care ? You learn so much about people and the barriers they face when you get outside of an office .
For example , if you ’ ve never had to rely on buses to get around , you may not think of public transit as a barrier to health . You don ’ t know the stress of having to take little children with you to an appointment because you don ’ t have access to childcare — or arriving late to the doctor ’ s through no fault of your own because the bus was late , only to be told you missed the appointment .
An expanded version of this article is available on UPMC HealthBeat , a blog of health and wellness tips , news , and inspiration .
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